Who is taking care of you?
Hello my dear friends! This is an important question for each one of us to consider. Often, because of the circumstances of life, we find ourselves taking care of a lot of people. We are taking care of our kids, taking care of our friends, taking care of our customers, taking care of people who often drain us of our emotional, spiritual, and physical energy. At the end of the day, we are spent.
Again, the question: who is taking care of you?
In this week's Psalms of Discipleship, David helps us focus upon the One who desires to take care of us in a way no one else can do. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm not only knows what we need, but is the only One who can provide it.
May we all come to have a fresh experience of His care,
Denny
PS. Free shipping and handling for a limited time (October 14-October 31). Order your copy now of Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace for only $15.99 (a $4 savings!). If you would like to have a devotional book that also serves as a spiritual life journal as well as a unique 21 point Bible study and personal assessment on grace. For more information, follow this link to my website,
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Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #42
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 [NASB95] or “Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything that I need.” [The Living Bible]
Core Value: Grace
Do we really know what it means to have God, the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm, take care of us? The prevailing view in our culture demands that each one of us be independent, self-providing, self-protecting. . . . self, self, self. How well has that strategy done for you? After the Fall in the Garden, there became a seismic paradigm shift on the role mankind began to assume. Instead of God serving as the catalyst for life, we reversed the roles. In their classic book on spiritual growth, “How People Grow,” Cloud and Townsend offer this insight:
Here are the roles as God created them [the first statement refers to "God" and the second statement refers to "Mankind"]: Pg. 35
God is the Source/We depend on God
God is the Creator/We are the creation and cannot exist unto ourselves
God has control of the world/We have control of ourselves
God was the judge of life/ We are to experience life
God designed life and its rules/We obey the rules and live the life God designed
Here is a snapshot of how the roles changed after the Fall [the first statement is "The Desire" and the second statement is "The Result"]: Pg. 36
We are the Source/We depend on ourselves
We are the Creator/We exist unto ourselves
We have control of the world/We try to control our world and each other, losing control of ourselves
We become the judge of life/We judge ourselves and each other and cease to be able to experience ourselves and each other
We design life and the rules/We live any way we want to
May each one of us long for the care of the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm.
Principle #42 & Personal Application: The quality disciple lacks for nothing because the Lord has provided everything that is needed.
• It is grace that allows me to know that the Lord is my shepherd.
• It is grace that allows me to know that the Lord provides all of my needs.
• It is grace that allows me to know that worry and anxiety have no place in my heart because “the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need!” Psalms 23:1 (TLB)
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. Isaiah 40:11 (NASB95)
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus. Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true; I would tell you how he changed my life completely, He did something that no other friend could do.
CHORUS: No one ever cared for me like Jesus, There’s no other friend so kind as He; No one else could take the sin and darkness from me, O’, how much He cared for me. (Written by Charles Weigle)
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
What does it really mean for me to have Jesus, the Great Shepherd, care for me?
What types of things do I let Him care of for me and what kinds of things do I not allow Him to take care of for me?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, far too many times I seek to be my own shepherd. Today, I want You to be my Shepherd. Please, O Lord, take care of me.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.
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