The Good Shepherd

Another sleepless night.  My body is tired, and I am fighting to keep my mind stayed on Him who is my Peace.

 I went to service this morning and Nathan spoke on The Good Shepherd.  I let the words wash over me and remind me that Jesus alone will cover me and protect me. He will bandage my wounds and He will lead me.  He alone will teach me to be, as He, the gate keeper of my home.  To love and to protect my sheep, which He entrusted to me.  He will enable me when I am short on love, to provide and care for others. He will lead me, go before me, and be my rear guard.  His voice alone,  I will follow. The Shepherd lives with His sheep and He lays down His life for them.   He paid the price of ownership for me and I rejoice in my good fortune, based on His character, that He is my Shepherd!

Years ago I picked up a little paperback book, A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23, by Phillip Keller,  and in it I discovered some pretty amazing truths, not only about the Shepherd, but about the sheep and, more particularly, how similar sheep are to people!    Keller, the author, is a shepherd of a flock of sheep and says, "it is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep...our mob instincts, fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits, are all parallels of profound importance.  Yet despite these adverse characteristics Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us His own, and delights in caring for us."   If you ever have the chance to read this book, I highly recommend it!

Sheep are stupid!  Sheep are stubborn.  Sheep are fearful and timid.  Sheep run off on their own and get caught up in the briers and then they bellow for the Shepherd.  Sheep are incapable of caring for themselves, and need constant discipline.    I AM A SHEEP!   And my Good Shepherd leaves the flock and comes to rescue me, and when He finds me, He scoops me up in His arms, restoring my soul and returns me clean and healed back to the fold. When I wander toward the poisonous plants of this world, His rod disciplines and corrects me, and His staff pulls me back from the danger and hazards that can befall me. He makes me lie down in Peace, free from the worries of this life and the tensions that arise due to arrogance and pride;  and the vying for attention in the " pecking orders" of life.  He leads me to the freshest waters of His word, to restore my soul.  He is The Source of life for me and this sheep could not live without her Shepherd.   What an amazing Shepherd He is!