The Shepherd's Shepherd

King David was a shepherd at heart and, as king, he shepherded the nation of Israel. In a way, his care for his people was a living picture of God's care for us. 

Asaph, in Psalm 78, wrote of how Israel had been unfaithful to God. They lied to Him, rebelled against Him, grieved Him, and refused to believe Him or obey Him. 

When God disciplined them, they crawled back, begging for forgiveness. "But their heart was not steadfast." They wanted symptom relief, not the cure repentance could bring. 

Despite all they had done, God chose to give Israel a good king, and He gave them David.

"So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skilled hands." Psalm 78:72 nasb

David knew what was important to sheep, and he provided that same care to his people.

Protection.

Provision.

Peace.

Paths of righteousness.

It was a picture of the care God had given to him. 

When I'm overwhelmed with life and the uncertainty of literary pursuits, I try to remember that God offers the same care to me. 

Always vigilant. Always caring. Always prepared to fight off enemies. Always ready with the provision that's needed.

No matter what we face, our God can handle it. He can give us peace in the midst of our trials, victory in our battles, provision in our need. We have only to turn to Him with our whole heart.

Today, let's remember the words of the shepherd boy:

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures:

he leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake. 

Psalm 23:1-3 nasb

God can handle whatever comes our way. He wants to be our shepherd, too, and He will be, if we will follow Him.

_____________________

photo courtesy of freeimages.com

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Sin That Wrecked a King (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-sin-that-wrecked-king.html)

#theLordismyshepherd #disciple #follow 

Considering the lilies: Choosing freedom from fear, worry, selfishness

"Consider the lilies, how they grow... And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.                                       (Luke 12:27, 29-32 NASB)

The lily series continues, mainly because I've enjoyed learning about the lilies.  I hate to leave it. We began this series by considering the lily bulb. In case you missed any part of the series, you can click on the links to catch up. We've also considered lily propagation,  lily's disposition, true lilies and the importance of the name, the importance of planting the lily bulb deep in the ground, the different varieties of lilies, and  living the lily life. Yesterday, we examined seeking the kingdom. 

Today, we look at the "DO NOT's". The world often thinks of religion in terms of "thou shalt not's". To the unbeliever, Christianity seems more like a list of don'ts than do's, a divine dictatorship rather than a relationship. If they only knew... 

The "don't's" of faith are for our protection and generally come with a "do" alternative. (Maybe not in the same verse, but if you look for it, you can find it.)

There are three "don't's" in this passage and they aren't what most people think of when they hear "thou shalt not". 

1. Do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink. 

 The word translated as "seek" is not a casual hide and seek game. We might think of it as  a demanding search, determined to have what we want. Jesus is warning us against demanding a certain kind of consumption. 

The implication is for us to be content with simple fare. We may want caviar and lobster, but that doesn't mean we should have it. Let's give up our selfishness and our sense of entitlement.

The most commonly eaten food in the world is rice. The diet in many countries is composed largely of rice. Not caviar. Not filet mignon. We would likely improve our health if we did not "seek" (demand) a certain diet, but were satisfied with a simple diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Okay, lean meats, too for the omnivores among us. (My physician side is shouting this morning.) 

2. Do not keep worrying.

Jesus knows us, doesn't He? We don't just worry for a moment. We keep on worrying. Agonizing, soul-wrenching worry. We fill our lives with what if's and miss the here and now. It's not the way we were intended to live. 

Jesus told us not to keep worrying because there is no need to worry. Our Heavenly Father has the world in His capable hands. He can handle our lives. So take every thought captive. Make a choice to obey. Stop worrying. Stop it. 

Here's a motivator for those of us who have trouble with worry. Jesus told us not to keep worrying. When I refuse to obey Jesus by continuing to worry, it is sin.

How do we stop worrying? Take our thoughts captive. Stop rehearsing our worry. Speak truth. Quote Scripture aloud. Pray. 

3. Do not be afraid.

I love this particular admonition. "Do not be afraid, little flock." The Good Shepherd is speaking here to His lambs and reminds me of Psalm 23. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." As our Shepherd, He has accepted the responsibility of providing for our needs. We are not to allow fear to drive our actions. Momentary fear should drive us to Christ. In His presence, fear flees. 

Will we stop doing what Jesus says not to do? We must, so that we can live free of selfishness, entitlement, demanding, worry, and fear. 

Choose to live as free men and women. It's the way Christ intended us to live.

~~~~~~~

Our Father, Our Shepherd and our Lord, forgive me for my selfish demanding, my worry, my fear. Help me to trust you and to follow you. Help me to live free, for You bought that freedom with Your blood. In Jesus name, Amen.

Teach us to pray, part 14: Jehovah Raah (The Lord is My Shepherd)

And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 'Give us each day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'" (Luke 11:2-4 NASB)

As we have seen before, Jehovah indicates "The Existing One" or "Lord". The term "Jehovah Raah" (or Rohi) is first used in Genesis 48:15 when Israel was blessing his son Joseph. "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day." The first use of the word God is Elohim, but his second use is Elohim Raah. The word Raah indicates a shepherd who consistently provides feed and pasture for his flock. When Israel says that God has "fed me all my life long unto this day", he is saying that God has been faithful to provide for him. God's provision has not been sporadic or intermittent. His provision has been faithful, every day, all the days of his life.

In Psalm 23, David speaks of the Lord as his Rô'eh, his shepherd, and states plainly, "I shall not want." He describes the tender care of his Lord as both peaceful and bounteous. Ezekiel, too, describes the tender care of the Shepherd, who not only seeks His flock, but also delvers them from all the places where they have been scattered. He feeds His sheep in a "fat" pasture, one with an abundance of excellent grazing. (Ezekiel 34:11-15)

This word, Raah, can, by extension, be translated as friend. "The Lord is my friend" presents a beautiful picture of the intimacy that we can have with our Lord. He is our faithful, never failing, Friend, the friend that sticks closer than a brother.

Shepherds must have sheep, and for the Shepherd to adequately care for His sheep, those sheep must follow Him, obey Him, allow Him to care for them as He sees fit. There can be no wandering. The sheep must trust the Shepherd and accept the care He provides. Sometimes the best pasture is on the highest mountain, and the way can be difficult, but the pasture at the end of the climb will be worth the difficulty required to access it. 

If I want Jehovah to be my Raah, my Shepherd, then I must be the kind of lamb that follows, no matter the path. Our Shepherd is always faithful, but are we? 

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes my lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

                                      Psalm 23:1-6 NASB