The Lord Is My Shepherd
(Ps. 23:1)

There are some Christians whose faith is premature no matter how long they have been as believers. Such people put themselves in the center of their heart. Even though they have been saved, but they cannot enjoy the wonderful blessings that God gives. Let us invite Jesus into the center of our life so that we may live in the grace and blessings of God all the time.

1. The Lord being the shepherd
Sheep is very weak and cannot live alone. So the role of the shepherd is very important to them. If they meet a good shepherd they are protected and being fed for living. However if they don’t have a shepherd or meet a hired hand, they are always threatened. The relationship between Jesus and us is like that of between the good shepherd and his sheep. Jesus came to us who were just like the sheep who have no shepherd and became a good shepherd. Jesus even sacrificed His own life to protect us, giving us eternal life. (Jn. 10:11) We should not live in the anxiety, worries and fears. Instead, we should be led by the guidance of God who gives us abundant life.

2. The owner of my life
The master of our life is Jesus who is the shepherd. However there are those who just confess that fact but live just as they are the master of their lives. Such people refuse the guidance of the Lord, the shepherd, and decide the way of life by themselves. But those decisions only produce the continuity of mistakes and problems. And as a result, they are easily tempted, hurt and broken in relationship. Our lives are out ours but the Lord’s. If we come closer to God in trouble but away from God when we are in blessings, we may think of Jesus as the magic wand. We should have God-oriented faith whatever we do. (Mt. 6:33)

3. The life without want
Is there anyone who possesses so much that he can even say that “I am without want”? No matter how much things we possess, we still feel scarcity, because satisfaction cannot be acquired by possession. David who wrote Psalm 23, confessed that his cup overflowed even when he walked through the valley of the shadow of death and stood before the presence of his enemies. (Ps. 23:4~5) It is because he fixed his eyes to Almighty God and didn't look at himself. When we look at ourselves, we feel unsatisfied as we are full of weaknesses and faults. However, fixing our eyes onto God enables us to expect to enjoy abundant blessings and hope in any situations. We should have real freedom, joy and satisfaction by putting our firm trust onto Jesus who is our shepherd and following Him.