Day 132 - The Great Shepherd

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                           Gal. 2:20  KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 14

       

Michael’s book is available through:

 Abiding Life Ministries International

                                                                        Littleton, Colorado
                                                        (303) 972-0859       almi@abidinglife.com

There is enough spiritual strength in Michael’s first paragraph today to (as we say in Texas) “choke a horse.”  That means it is almost too much for us to chew on!  Read on, and then I will talk about how this means so much to us day by day…

DAY 132

The Great Shepherd

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. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast 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

The Lord is my Shepherd, what a wonderful thing! He is not my general, employer, or warden, demanding that I walk lockstep behind Him; nor is He ever fearful that I might get out of line, make the wrong decision, or make a choice unpleasing to Him. As the Shepherd, He leads me. 

As a young boy I sat one moonlit night on the back porch of the farm and listened to my grandfather complaining about the sheep, and why not? The night before, we had pulled into the driveway just in time for the headlights to catch a coyote jumping a fence while holding a young lamb by the throat and flung over its back. So this next night we had sat on the roof of the barn waiting for the coyotes to return. After many hours we had taken a break and gone to the house for a cup of coffee. In the short time it took us to return, several sheep had already been slaughtered, though there had not been one sound of alarm from them. Another time I watched with amazement as several of the sheep followed one another into the thick muck of the feedlot, sinking deeper with each step until they were completely stuck and crying out for help. It was so evident that sheep farming was an expensive, exasperating, and frustrating business. Grandpa had to do everything for them, and they were so stupid. I once said, “Grandpa, let’s just get rid of all the sheep!” I actually thought that I would be commended for my insight, but immediately he responded, “Oh, no; I like them!” That simple statement revealed that he was a shepherd at heart. I loved that shepherd, for many times I found myself stuck, stupid, and following the crowd; yet though I was exasperating, frustrating, and expensive, I saw him exhibit the same heart toward me. Now if we multiply this simple illustration by one trillion, we will vaguely begin to see the heart of the Great Shepherd.

WOW!  Soak on these things in that first paragraph:
   - What God is
   - What God isn’t
    - What I don’t have to do
   - He has no fears of my…
   - He leads me!
Hallelujah!  Amen!  HE IS MY SHEPHERD!  MY GREAT SHEPHERD!

I don’t know how your week is going, but I have to tell you that I have experienced my great Shepherd in some awesome, wonderful ways this week…and the week is only half over!  He has led me.  He has led others whom I am interacting with.  He has orchestrated circumstances beyond my control and beyond my imagining.  And I haven’t felt any “demands” from Him.  Well, amen!

How often do we think God is our “general, employer, warden” ALWAYS DEMANDING of us?  We must stop thinking like that!  He is our Great Shepherd.  And He knows we are like sheep.  And He doesn’t leave us without His guidance, wisdom, provision, protection, power, comfort…the list goes on and on, doesn’t it?  So, why can’t we live like God’s sheep.  Admit that is who we are.  Totally dependent upon our Great Shepherd, and ready to enjoy His shepherding!

Those of us who got to know and be around Michael…I can just imagine us laughing when we read about him being up on top of the barn roof with his grandfather, a shepherd in Michael’s early life.  What a picture.  I can see Michael up on that roof with Jesus in his last days.  Michael was always watching over the sheep God gave him to minister to, always learning from His Great Shepherd.  Michael was a shepherd, not a general.  Not an employer.  Not a warden.  Just a simple shepherd. 

And, likewise, many of us have been shown how to be shepherds, instead of “generals, employers, or wardens.”  And we GET TO watch over some of God’s sheep.   Beautiful!

Now listen…we also GET TO experience our Great Shepherd exhibiting His heart toward us even while we are exasperating, frustrating, expensive, and…  And through it all, He likes us.  He likes me.  He likes you.  He would (and won’t) never get “rid” of us!

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point               Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                       936-559-5696