The Good Shepherd #237

Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible (NASB) The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.                                                                                                                  Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.                                      2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.                                                                                                 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.                                                                                         4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.                                                                              5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.                                                 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

It is likely one of the first verses that you memorized. It is also likely one of those verses that has become more meaningful as your life passes by. You have found in its words: comfort, peace, hope, assurance, victory, joy, and most of all, your Savior.

The LORD truly is your Shepherd. He loves and cares for you, his sheep. Because He is your Shepherd, you will be provided for. You are without want. He guides your life into right living. He leads you through the depths of the valley of death. For that reason you need not fear.

He comforts you with his rod and his staff. His staff is used to pull you through the struggles and difficulties. It brings such comfort to know The Great Shepherd is leading. He comforts through the rod. The rod was a stick used to throw at the sheep to warn them, correct them, and assure them they were being watched over. The Shepherd fills your life with joy. His presence overwhelms and your cup overflows.

The Sheep know and understand the Shepherd is an everlasting Shepherd. He not only is with us in this life, but leads us to the next and is with us forever. The Everlasting Shepherd is the Great Alpha and Omega. Remember He is a Good Shepherd and He loves you. 

__________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ 

Charles Spurgeon, the famous British Baptist preacher, once said, "If God has called you to be a missionary, don't stoop to be a king." Sandy and I had the privilege of speaking to volunteer missionaries Monday and Tuesday and saw in their lives the call of God to glorify Him by making Jesus known. Some worked in resort ministry caring for the spiritual and physical needs of people in RV parks. Some served in Collegiate Ministry called, Christian Challenge. Some worked on the Indian Reservations in Arizona. Their stories of God bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ brought joy to my heart, and sometimes tears to my eyes. If you know a missionary; pray for them right now. Sandy and I encouraged them to develop friendships and partners in ministry and beyond. It reminded me again how important all of you are to me. Thanks for your friendship. 

Sandy is enjoying baby-sitting a couple of days a week with Johnny, and one day with both him and Justin. She so loves all five of her grandsons. I think the feeling is mutual. They love their Grammie. (see pic) Several of you have enquired about Justin. He is doing fine after his bout with RSV and a week in the pediatric intensive care. Thanks for your prayers. 

Collin is headed to our church's Children's Winter Camp Retreat this week-end. They are headed to Prescott, AZ. The weather is predicted to be in the 20's at night and 40's in the day with a possibility of snow on Saturday. Collin is a true desert rat. I imagine he will freeze. Pray for him to grow in his relationship with Jesus during the time at camp. 

Wednesday my friend, Dr. Bob Moser was in town. I had the joy of meeting him at the airport and having lunch together. He was on the Pastor Search Committee that called us to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1973. In many ways it seems like a life-time ago and in some ways like yesterday. We have had the enjoyment of seeing Bob and Pat off and on during those forty years even though miles separated us. True friends far supersede time and distance. 

I have canceled two speaking engagements because of health reasons. Both meetings would have required travel and right now due to the Carcinoid Syndrome I find it difficult to travel and being too far from my doctors and hospital. Hopefully it will get better and I can resume the travel schedule; something for me to ask you to pray for me. (for those of you who are curious check out Carcinoid Syndrome and Carcinoid Crisis at the Carcinoid Foundation on the internet at www.carcinoid.org. I do appreciate your prayers. The oncologist stopped my chemo because it was actually making the Syndrome worse. I am glad he stopped. Currently his medical advice to me is to do nothing. He believes any treatment I would receive would cause more problems, not less. 

I will be preaching at the First Baptist Church of Tempe on the 17th of February at 9:30 AM in the Intersect Service. Please pray for my preparation and for the service itself. Join me if you can. 

Do you have any idea how much God loves you? I ask you to look at the cross of Jesus and see his life and his death and thank God He loved you so much He died for you. He took away your sins and gave you His life. He resurrected from the dead three days later to give you what He promised. John 10:10 "I have come to give you life and life more abundantly." He did not say a life without struggles, difficulties, or trials. He came to give you His abundant life. Praise the Lord for that. 

May Jesus bless you this coming week with His presence. I pray you will be aware of His love and provisions for you. May God bless you with friends. Share your life with someone. Be their friend and see if it doesn't come back to you. 

DGW