The LORD makes Himself famous by perfectly shepherding us.

Psalm 23:1-3  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Just think, as we move throughout our day today as believer’s who seek to be led by the LORD, we have the promise that our LORD’s shepherding care of us is done to make Him famous, for His name’s sake.  He takes care of us in a way that He thinks is the greatest way to make his reputation glorious and famous around the world.  Our daily provision from God comes out of His own commitment to make His reputation famous and glorious.  He will make sure that we are not in want so that He is famous.  Him providing for us and leading us is what makes Him glorious and famous.  He will not let Himself down or us.  He wants us to trust Him in that loving shepherding leadership.  He wants us to be content with how He provides for us for the purpose of making His name renown in all nations.  Let Him lead, it is for His name’s sake not ours.


Dear Lord, thank You for letting us be so loved that You involve us in Your plan and purpose.  You provide for us perfectly so that Your name is not defamed.  Let us trust and be content with that shepherding care.  Let us daily come before You seeking You as our shepherd to lead and guide us.  We humbly seek You and yield to You as our loving Shepherd.  Thank You for Your Son Jesus who You have sent us to be the incarnation of Your Shepherding love as He laid His life down for His sheep.  We love You as we yield to your leadership.  We pray this for Your name’s sake, Amen.

The LORD loves being a Shepherd.

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Our God (Yahweh) in heaven loves to be called a Shepherd.  A Shepherd who has sheep that He loves and cares for at every moment of the day.  Our God who is perfect, holy and powerful loves to stoop down into our world where we sheep roam around and He shows loving care for us for our sake.  He is my Shepherd.  This confession comes with us admitting that we are sheep.  We are like weak sheep that are in need of protection and provision from our Shepherd God.  In order for us to enjoy God as our Shepherd, we must confess our weaknesses and surrender ourself to being led by God as our Shepherd in His sheepfold and into His pastures.  Do you want God as your Shepherd?  Do you want to rest in His providential Shepherding as He leads you into green pastures and into the valley of the shadow of death?  As the Good Shepherd He will do both for our greater good (Romans 8:28).  Yahweh God, has sent Jesus to be our Good Shepherd who says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11).  Trust Jesus as your loving Shepherd.  Let us rejoice in being led by a good and great Shepherd who lays down His life for us sheep.  Let us humbly submit to His Shepherding as sheep who are weak and in need.

Father, You are our Shepherd.  Lead us into the pastures that You see are best for us to make us more like You as our Shepherd.  Thank You for being our God who loves to stoop down into this messy world to protect and provide for us Sheep even to the point of giving up the life of Your Son Jesus for us.  You are the loving good Shepherd.  We submit to your leadership.  In Jesus’ loving name, Amen.

God's kindness is perfect and the power that leads us to repentance.

Romans 2:4  Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

God’s kindness is always perfect.  His kindness and grace are truly amazing. The question Paul asks here is one that we should ask daily, “are we presuming that God’s kindness, forbearance and patience will always be available for us when we continue in sin?”  God shows kindness to us as He looks at our past sin. He has been good to us because He has not judged us even though we deserve it.  His forbearance is His kindness to us as we struggle with our present sin.  Every moment we fall short of His glory, yet He holds back His judgment against us.  His patience is His kindness to us as we fall into future sin. God knows that we will sin tomorrow and the next day, yet He holds back His judgment against us.  These kindnesses are considered His “riches.”  They are of great value, eternal value.  Knowing how great God’s kindness is, Paul reminds us how great a sin it is to presume upon the graciousness of God and to think that we deserve it.  Instead He is showing us kindness, love, and grace so that we will repent of our present sins.  Let us also follow His example of grace as we show others kindness who sin against us.

LORD, thank you for your kindness.  Let us always see your kindness as the power that leads us to repentance.  Let us always be reminded that Jesus Christ has come in the strength and power of your kindness.  Lead us into that repentance in Jesus name, Amen. 

Know this! Show this!

Psalm 100:3  Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Know this believer… Know that the LORD, Yahweh, is God, Elohim.  This is a command from God to us through the writings of David.  In other words, know that, Yahweh, the constant, independent, absolute, eternal, uncreated God that never changes, and who does whatever He pleases for your good, He delights in His creation being dependent upon Him as Elohim – The Shepherding God.  Know that He made us specifically and created us as His property, very much like His very own sheep in His pasture of overwhelming provision.  Our personal and relational Yahweh God is a caring Shepherd who guides us by His wisdom and tends us as sheep, who are in His tender care, feeding us perfectly physically and spiritually from His loving provision as our Shepherd.  Know this, ponder this, rest upon this, dwell on this, the uncreated creator God lovingly creates us and tends us like a caring shepherd does His sheep.  Let knowing this impact our showing this to a world who is absent of this delightful, joy creating promise.

Father God, You are our caring Shepherd who knows our every path today as Your sheep.  Lord, please make us sensitive to Your strong presence as our Shepherd as You perfectly guide us and provide for us.  Lord, You always have our best interests in Your hand.  Remind us of this daily as you call us to KNOW You as our Shepherding Creator through Your Son, Jesus Christ, Who is our Good Shepherd that has laid down His life for us, being our sacrificial Shepherd.

Immeasurable riches for you daily in Christ.

Ephesians 2:4-7   But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Today, we worship, love and live with the promise that we are being loved by our God who shows off His mighty power and love by pouring into our lives the immeasurable, outstanding, extraordinary riches of His grace.  God has loved us when we were dead in trespasses and sins.  God has made a bond with us and His Son, Jesus, that is not dissolvable.  He has made the way for us to share in His life giving Resurrection.  While living on this Earth we have been guaranteed Victory over sin and meaninglessness.  Christ has made a way for us to enter the presence of God the Father to receive these immeasurable riches from Him as He sits on His Throne.  That in itself is the immeasurable riches of His grace and His kindness towards us.  God will not run out of kindness and grace to show you.  Let us live with enjoyment knowing that these immeasurable riches are being heaped upon us and they will never run dry.  In fact, they will just get greater.

Father, thank you for Jesus who has given us uninhibited access to Your Throne so that we may receive directly from Your hand the immeasurable riches of Your grace and kindness.  LORD, let us recall day by day how You  heap upon us Your divine grace.  Thank You for making us alive when we were dead in our sin.  Thank You for pursuing us daily on this Earth giving us graces to make this life full of purpose and power as You fix our course in the direction that You have for us to be actively serving You and glorifying You with the tasks that You have given.  In Jesus name.