My Shepherd
Psalm 23:1
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."
David personalized the fact that the LORD was his shepherd. You will notice that he did not call the LORD our shepherd, but he called Him "my shepherd." David understood that the LORD is a personal God. He understood that unless He made the LORD a personal God, then he would not allow Him to guide him into the right places.
Christian, let me ask you, is the LORD your shepherd? I know it is easy to say that He is, but when I look at Christianity I see that the LORD is not the shepherd of many Christians. Often, these Christians who audibly call the LORD their shepherd live in such a manner that depicts that they have another shepherd. Let me help you determine whether the LORD is your shepherd.
If the LORD is your shepherd, then you will feed in His pastures. I find many Christians are going to other pastures to be fed. The LORD is not your shepherd if you are feeding from the trash of the world. Don't tell me that the LORD is your shepherd when you would rather emulate the world more than living the life of Christ. If the LORD is truly your shepherd, you will want to live no other life than the Christian life. The pastures that you should feed from are the Christian life. You can always tell who a sheep belongs to by seeing in whose pasture they are feeding. If the LORD is truly one's shepherd, then they will unashamedly live in the pastures of the Christian life. They won't try to hide the fact that they are a Christian. They will dress and talk like a Christian because they live in the pastures of the LORD.
If the LORD is your shepherd, then you will drink from His waters. What is it that refreshes your soul? Do you find yourself drinking from the waters of the liberals? Do you find yourself drinking the waters of liberal authors? Do you find yourself drinking the waters of the internet? Unless you go to the water of the Word of God to be refreshed, then the LORD is not your shepherd.
If the LORD is your shepherd, then you will walk in the paths of righteousness. One of the tale-tale signs that the LORD is one's shepherd is when you see them living a righteous life. Your lifestyle will ultimately show whether the LORD is your shepherd. If you're walking in the paths of adultery, the LORD is not your shepherd. If you are walking in the paths of gossip, the LORD is not your shepherd. If you are walking in the paths of liberal Christianity, then the LORD is not your shepherd. Christian, it is important that you choose the right paths to walk, for those paths will determine if the LORD is your shepherd.
If the LORD is your shepherd, then you will eat at the table He has prepared for you. Sometimes you may not like what the LORD prepares for you, but you will eat from it. Sometimes He will put an easy life to eat, but there will also come times when He puts hardships for you to eat. It isn't always pleasant to eat what the LORD puts in front of you, but if He is your shepherd, then you will eat it for you will understand that it is best for you.
What is the benefit of the LORD being your shepherd? The benefit is that you "shall not want." In other words, if you will allow the LORD to be your shepherd, he will make sure that you will not lack in any area of life. He will provide all of your needs. Let me encourage you to let the LORD lead you in every area of life. Let Him be your shepherd and you will find that you will never lack in any area of life.