Psalms 23:1
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."

In this familiar Psalm, David is speaking as one of the flock,
having a relationship with the Lord, whom he referred
to as his ‘Shepherd.’
 David was a shepherd and knew first hand the responsibilities
of a shepherd, what he had to do to take of his sheep. He knew
 the hazards that could happen to a straying sheep,
and at times, he had to use his rod to keep them in line.
A good Shepherd does whatever is best for his flock, and
sometimes He had to sternly discipline them.

Our Shepherd is good, gentle and kind. He takes the
greatest care of His sheep.
Our good Shepherd paid the ultimate sacrifice to make
us His sheep; He gave His life. As His sheep, we are bought
 with a price, the precious blood of Jesus.

Isaiah 40:11
"He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd; He shall gather
the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom."

In the above verse, in His bosom, means to ‘enclose, within.’
 What a wonderful picture this portrays! As His sheep, He
holds us close to His breast!
Sheep require a lot of care, and our good Shepherd
 cares for His flock with tender loving care. He is always
watching out for the sheep, ever alert and aware of what we need. David said with the Lord as his Shepherd, he would not lack.
'Lack' meaning to be in want, to fail or lessen.
David said in Psalms 37:25:
"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen
the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

Philippians 4:19:
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
As Christ is our Shepherd, we can know He will take care
of us and meet our needs.

To enjoy the benefits of being His sheep, we must pay the
price. As His sheep, we cannot go our ‘own way, do our
own thing.’ That leads into danger, and the
Shepherd will gently use the rod to bring us back
into line. He corrects us for our own good; left to ourselves
 we would not survive. Our good Shepherd is
 always interceding for His sheep with
His Father, and He leads and guides us by His Spirit.

John 10:14
"I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep and
am known of them."

Father God, we thank you that you sent your Son, Jesus,
to be our Shepherd, our 'owner.'
As such, we are under constant care and guidance. Thank
you as one of the flock, we will not be
 in want. We can follow Jesus, knowing that
He will not lead us into danger, but will lead us into
 green pastures, where we will be nourished.
 Thank you, Jesus, for being our ‘Good Shepherd,’
with the character and abilities of a Shepherd that knows, and genuinely loves His sheep. Amen.

Shirley
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