Weekly Devotion

Jesus is Our Good Shepherd

"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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23

Jesus described the people of the world -- even those who were outwardly associated with the church of His day -- "like sheep having no shepherd" (Matt. 9:36); and this description is still true today. But what comfort we believers have with the LORD as our Shepherd!

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). We "were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of [our] souls" (1 Pet. 2:25).

With Jesus as our Good Shepherd, what could we possibly lack? He died for us and won for us forgiveness for all our sins and a place in heaven. He provides for all our needs of both body and soul and will bring us safely into His everlasting kingdom (1 John 2:1-2; 2 Tim. 4:18).

He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters. He nourishes us with His Word and protects us from false teaching and deception. Though we by nature would go our own way, He leads us in the paths of righteousness, teaching us to live humbly before our God, acknowledging our sin and wickedness and trusting in His mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ's blood shed for us upon the cross. He leads and moves us, as His sheep, to live our lives for Him (2 Cor. 5:15).

When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, what have we to fear? Christ, our Shepherd, is with us to protect us and keep us. And, even when we die, no evil will befall us; for we have been redeemed by the holy and precious blood of Christ, and our risen Savior will also raise us up on the Last Day unto life everlasting!

Even though the devil and the world wait to devour us, our Good Shepherd prepares a table before us and nourishes and blesses us through His Word and Sacraments. He pours out His Spirit upon us and keeps us in His mercy and grace throughout our earthly lives; and, finally, we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever!

O Jesus, tender Shepherd, grant that we hear Your life-giving Word and trust in You to provide for all our needs of both body and soul. Grant us forgiveness for all our sins, nourish and keep us in the true faith, and lead us safely through this world to Yourself in heaven. Amen.

[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

Community on 04/29/2015