February 10 - The Lord is My Shepherd

The Shepherd Psalm reveals a deep mystery of how to live on God’s grace and mercy, of how to prosper in the body, soul and spirit, of how to be in God’s presence and overcome the enemy of our lives. The conclusion comes to us in the end of the Psalm: living in the house of the Lord forever.

This is what the Christian life is all about, to follow Christ, to be fed and nurtured by Him, to be guided and protected in our journey of life, to be filled with the oil of joy and the enjoyment of the banqueting table. So our ultimate goal is the presence of God in our lives, just like living in the house of the Lord and never leave His presence.

From the conclusion, we may go to the summary declaration of the Psalm: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”. This is the beginning of a blessed life, to follow the Lord and make Him the Lord of your life. When Jesus called the first disciples, He clearly said, “Follow Me!” The salvation call is to follow Jesus and make Him the Shepherd of your life. The consequence of such action is that God would take care of all your life’s needs. The opposite is that if you are in need, lacking something in life, or experiencing depravations, you are not truly following the Lord.

The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is the taker. Jesus comes to give life and abundant life for He is the Giver. When you follow the devil’s ways, you’ll be robbed of your rightful inheritance, your life would be destroyed and things in your life would begin to deteriorate. For the lives that are falling apart, the obvious conclusion could be that God is not your Shepherd. One wrong move and you are in the land of lack; one correct move, you will be in the land of plenty.

Pause now to look at your life, what is happening to you, are you experiencing depravation and lack or are you enjoying the abundance of God and you are living in His presence? Are you following Christ closely or at a distance? Are you following the Lord’s instructions to rest and to take the Sabbath or you are overworking yourself? Do you let Christ atone for your life or you are trying your best to live your life? Are you working together with God and enjoying the joy and peace of His presence? The choice is yours, to follow Jesus or to follow yourself or the world. Remember, every depravation reveals a form of disobedience. To have fullness and prosperity, you must return to Him, your Shepherd and let Him take control. It is a control issue, whether you are the controller or the follower. Only the followers may experience the grace and mercy of God. They will live in God’s presence and experience no lack in their lives.