Gentle Shepard

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:1-4 NKJV

Gentle Shepard... Jesus said, "Follow Me." This is one of the easiest commands in the Bible. Only two words. Why then is it so hard to obey? We try to be obedient and do what Jesus would do, but somehow, we so often come up short. Every morning I am purposed to follow Jesus on the path that He set before me, but then something catches my attention and I veer off the path He set before me. Often for something silly and unimportant. Every morning I pray "Lord, help me to walk in Your footsteps today. Not to the right or left, ahead or behind, in You footprints." I know that if I step anywhere outside His footprints that I am going to stumble, and it's going to hurt.

While this is a metaphorical example, if we can't follow Jesus, our Shepard, in the easy days, how can we follow Him in the difficult days? This is why Jesus commands us to follow Him. When we follow Him, we are not just walking behind Him, HE IS LEADING US! Like a Shepard who tenderly guards his sheep. Jesus goes before us to make sure there is no danger ahead. When we fall, He pulls us back up on our feet. Gently reminding us to walk in His strength. After all... He is our Gentle Shepard who carries us (lambs) in His arms, holding us close to His heart. David called Jesus "my Shepard." To David, God was his personal Shepard. Not merely the Shepard of the great flock of all humanity, but the Shepard who called him by name. Think on this... The Gentle Shepard calls you by name and holds you close to His heart. Can you hear His heartbeat?
 

I am the Good Shepard; and I know my sheep, and am known by My own." John 10:14.

 

Jehovah Rohi knows His sheep!

 

Sweetest Blessings,

Jo