OUR GOOD SHEPHERD

Psalm 100:3 NKJV Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

I was sent the following letter recently from Joseph Prince Ministries and thought I would share it as it applies to all of us who belong to the Good Shepherd.😊

“Dwell in the Care of Your Good Shepherd.

I’m sure you’ve experienced this before…

Life has a way of wearing us down without us even noticing. Day by day, you show up, do your best, and keep going. You might not even notice how much you’re carrying until your soul starts feeling constantly tired, you fall ill, or you’re just plagued by a nagging sense of blah.

Let me tell you this: you weren’t made to live this way.

The Bible gives us many pictures of who we are as believers—eagles that soar and lions that stand bold. But do you know which picture shows up most?

Sheep.

Psalm 100:3 describes it beautifully, “We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”

Sheep aren’t built to fend for themselves. They don’t find their own food or fight off predators. When they’re lost, they don’t find their way back. They simply cry out.

That might sound like a weakness. But it’s not. It’s a reflection of how the Lord sees us and the relationship He wants to have with us.

As sheep, we were made to follow a shepherd. And not just any shepherd, the Good Shepherd.

Psalm 23 begins with these words: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

He’s the One who leads, provides, protects, and restores.

When flies torment the sheep, the shepherd anoints their heads with oil. When a sheep gets flipped over and stuck on its back, he lifts it up and sets it on its feet again. When one goes missing, the Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one.

That’s our Lord Jesus.

He doesn’t scold. He doesn’t shame. He finds, He carries, and He brings you home. And as His sheep, you don’t have to fight or try to earn your way back. All you have to do is simply consent to be carried.

Maybe that’s what you need today. Not more self-help ideas or motivational advice, but to just say to your Shepherd, “Lord, I need You. Carry me.”

You don’t have to do life on your own. You were never meant to.”

I pray that blesses you as much as it blessed me. Have a blessed weekend.😊x

Photo by Sandra-Beatrice Molnar on Unsplash

WE HAVE ACCESS 24/7

Hebrews 4:16 NIV Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

There is a story of a soldier in the American Civil War who went to the White House to see the President, Abraham Lincoln, to ask for compassionate leave to help his mother after his brother and father died at Gettysburg, but he wasn’t allowed an audience. He left totally disheartened but a little boy saw him and asked him what was wrong. The boy then told him he was the President’s only son and took his hand and said, ‘Come with me.’ The little boy walked straight past all the guards, through all the corridors into the room where his father was and told his father this soldier needed to talk to him, and of course he did.😊

It’s a picture of what Jesus has done for us, the Father’s only Son, who has made the way open for us to have access to our Heavenly Father any time of day or night. Through Jesus He has made us sons and daughters of the Living God. Just think about that for a minute. We have access to the most powerful, most loving Being in the universe and He has given us an open invitation to come and talk with Him, about anything and everything on our hearts.

Have you something on your heart today that’s bothering you; it may be small or it may be breaking your heart, that needs His attention? Then know you can come into the presence of the King with confidence, because you are His child, and ask Him for help and He has promised to provide it, whatever it takes. 

Hebrews 7:25 NIV Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Jesus is our great High Priest and He is interceding on our behalf around the clock, declaring His blood has been shed and it covers every sin, every disease, every need that will ever be known to man or woman who trust in Him. 

Romans 4:20-21 NIV Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 

So Jesus is asking us to trust Him because He has already overcome whatever is giving us grief. Our part, like Abraham, is to believe and receive it because our God loves us and He never lies.😊 Amen.