The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"My Shepherd"
Part 2 - In All Things
"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
(Psalm 80:1)
"The Lord is my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1). If we have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ, His shepherding constitutes fact, reality, and truth for us in all things. We belong to Him, He provides for and protects us, guides us, and His purpose for our lives is paramount. He calls us as His sheep to realize His role and our role in the relationship of Shepherd and flock, trusting and submitting to Him in all things.
This raises the question that concluded our consideration in Part 1: is there any area of life in which we fail to remember and affirm, "The Lord is my shepherd?" (Psalm 23:1).
"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6).
Do we see our Shepherd in terms of our personal being, that, is of our "spirit and soul and body?" (I Thessalonians 5:17). Do we see Him as the life of our spiritual selves, the illuminator of our minds, the arbiter of our affections, the power of our wills, and the owner and enlivener of our bodies? Do we realize how near our Lord dwells both with and within us? Of all human beings, the Apostle Paul declared, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Of born again believers, our Shepherd lives, moves, and bestows His personal presence within us. "Christ liveth in me… to live is Christ… Christ is our life" (Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21; Colossians 3:4). Yes, Christ's shepherding must be known in terms of our personal selves, as the very Life of our lives. He lives in us, we live in Him, and we "live through Him" (Colossians 1:27; I Corinthians 1:30; I John 4:9).
Do we also recognize our Shepherd in terms of our circumstances, situations, and conditions? How present and involved is He in our lives? How intricately and intimately does He weave His purpose into the moments of our existence? Are there matters that somehow escape His attention, intention, and wondrous working to fulfill His gracious determination to do the very best thing for us He could possibly perform, namely, to make us like the Lord Jesus in character and way? (Romans 8:28-29). We know the answers to these questions on the pages of Scripture regarding our Shepherd's devoted care to His flock, and to every member of it. We must also know the answers on the pages of our hearts as we affirm by faith that our Shepherd misses nothing of life's happenings, nor does He fail to coordinate all for the glory of God and our benefit.
Do we see our Shepherd in the relationships of our lives? People do not merely fall out of the sky or pop up from the ground during our earthly sojourn. God either administers or allows those who briefly cross our paths, or those who settle in to make the journey with us. Be they family, friend, or foe, our Shepherd has forever known those who would bless us, those who would challenge us, and those who may seem like happenstance passersby, but who actually come our way in His providence. As His sheep, we have opportunity in every relationship to "shine as lights in the world," reflecting our Shepherd's glory to others in our countenance, demeanor, attitude, words, and deeds. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (Philippians 2:15; I Corinthians 10:31).
In countless other ways, the Lord Jesus serves as our perfect guide, provider, protector, motivator, and enabler. We must serve Him by keeping the matter of His shepherding ever before us. Again, are there matters in which we perceive ourselves as a lone sheep, separate from the Shepherd's loving presence, involvement, attention, and care? If so, we must repent of our unbelief, affirm His devotion, and remember that the hands, feet, and side of our Shepherd bear wounds suffered in the wrath of both God and man to establish an eternally undying relationship with us (Acts 2:23). "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" declares the Shepherd to His flock, and to every individual sheep of His blessed "purchased possession" (Hebrews 13:5; Ephesians 1:14). "The Lord is my shepherd." Let often remember and confess David's beloved and familiar affirmation, rejoicing that the truth abides as true in all things, at all times, and in every matter.
"I am with you always."
(Matthew 28:20)
Weekly Memory Verse
He is thy Lord, and worship thou Him.
(Psalm 45:11)
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