Psalm 23; John 10: 1- 5, 10, 11, 25-30

Every Christian should know why they are content. They have the Good Shepherd and trust their lives to Him. Jesus Christ is my shepherd - THAT IS ENOUGH! I hope you feel that way. He marks our lives with His. We sense His power to be patient or to survive a crisis, or to celebrate even small victories. When we need His healing touch, He is there! He is our contentment in a world that is not content. They are still looking!

The world notices Christians. In Japan, a Japanese lady asked the head of the Christian mission school, "Do you only accept beautiful girls here?" "Why, no," the director responded. "We welcome all girls." "But your girls are all so beautiful," persisted the lady. "Oh, we teach them to love our Savior, Jesus Christ, and He gives them a look of beauty." Intrigued, the lady volunteered, "I myself am a Buddhist, and I do not desire that my daughter become a Christian. Yet, I should like her to attend your school to get that look on her face." That "look" comes from knowing our Good Shepherd! He guides, protects, and picks us up when we fall. He places us on the path He has chosen for us!

Here we must be careful: we are proud of our Shepherd - but we must not lose sight of Him. Our Good Shepherd gives us a universe that is friendly. Away from Him, it is dangerous! Human leaders and institutions offer only limited and fragile hope. When we hope in God, let’s keep it simple, like a child’s faith.

"My daddy died and went to heaven and became God," said a young child to her teacher. "How do you know?" Asked the teacher. "We pray to him all the time...’Our Father, who art in heaven,...’ He must be God." Wisely, the teacher responded, "Of course!" But that hints at the grand truth. The Good Shepherd keeps us in His hands and His Father’s!

We come to Psalm 23 in light of John 10. Be captured by the One who guides, protects, and picks us up when we fall. Rejoice that He places us on the path He has chosen for us! And know He never lets us fall out of His hand. When we are in His hands, we are in the hands of the Father, too! So we come to this Psalm for a few minutes to build up our faith. Expect to see Jesus through these words.

There are many names for God. Six of His names are alluded to in the 23^rd Psalm. Each one reflects part of the character of our Good Shepherd. Read the Psalm and discover all the wonderful ways we experience that the Lord is our Shepherd - that’s enough!

1 - The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Jehova Rohi, To feed or lead to pasture. The prince cares for his people. No other name carries such a tender meaning for God. The Good Shepherd meets every need of His people - His sheep. The universe is friendly. God is with me. He is more than some impersonal force - He is the Good Shepherd, Counselor, Father, Friend. Our biggest surprise about God when we see Him is that He will not look strange to us at all! When we see Him, we will realize what a part He played in all the areas of our lives. We won’t ask, "‘Who are You?’ But we will say, ‘so it was You all the time!’" (C. S. Lewis)

A Palestinian shepherd understands. His sheep can mix with other flocks for the night. But the next day, he calls his own, as other shepherds call their own. The sheep recognize the voice or whistle and join their shepherd. "They may look alike to you, but they know me." "I have come that you might have life .. abundantly!" (v 10) The Lord is our Shepherd - that’s enough!

2 - He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

Jehovah Jireh, He sees, appears, and provides. Abraham experienced this gift from God. He was told to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. But at the last minute, God provided a lamb to die in place of Isaac. We can rest in Him. Then, when we rest we are also refreshed by Him. He refreshes us in the quiet moments only He can provide.

What if you grew up in a culture that was not influenced by Christ like Toyohiko Kagawa of Japan. He grew up in a religion that held he and his family in the grip of superstition. "I lived in lonesome fright up to the age of eleven, in the Awa Province of Japan. I was told we would be cursed for such acts as spitting on the soil, that evil spirits inhabit mountains and streams. We feared devils in ponds, ghosts in solitary places.... Nowhere in the universe was there love and affection, nor any friend that would sustain me. It was the greatest joy to learn that the essence of the universe is love and that God is a merciful Father. .. The good tidings of Jesus let me know there is an affectionate creator, however dark the night may be and however fiercely the tempest may roar. ... Here is the infallible remedy for moral madness." (Meditations, Kagawa)

3 - He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness,

for His name’s sake.

Jehovah Tsidkenu, God is our Righteousness. We cannot be righteous on our own. His righteousness comes to us as a free gift through faith in the Good Shepherd Jesus. He does not do this for you and me. He does this for Himself. Revisit the Good Shepherd in John 10. He both provides the way and IS THE WAY TO GOD.

He is both the Shepherd (v 2); and the Door for the sheep (v 9). Only through Him, by the blood of the Lamb of God, can we enter His kingdom. Jesus the Shepherd, died for the sheep. Those who are not true sheep cannot enter. He is our righteousness before the Father. We work this out each day, as we trust Him to lead us in His righteousness.

4 - 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.

Jehovah Nissi, God is our Banner. The ancient "banner" was not a flag, as we know it. Often, it was a staff with a gold or silver medallion attached to the top. The emblem was easy to see in battle, the soldiers knew they could continue the battle. Moses constructed a bronze serpent and attached it to a staff. All those who looked at the bronze serpent were saved from the poisonous snakes attacking the people.

The shepherd’s staff serves many purposes. During the day, he carries it on his shoulder, or at least makes it visible, to comfort his animals. He uses it to count, sort and separate sheep for medications; to keep wild animals away, or to fight them off. If a sheep goes its own way too many times, the shepherd breaks a leg, binds it, then carries the sheep until the leg heals. And when walking through fog banks, or at night, the tapping of the staff on the ground reassures the sheep that their good shepherd is near.

The banner of God for all is the cross where Jesus died. When we see Jesus on the cross, that is the emblem of victory for us. The clear sign for believers in Jesus Christ becomes joy in us that He lives. Even though we may die in the flesh, we will be with God!

5 - Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

Thou anointest my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Jehovah Shalom, God is our Peace. No matter where we find ourselves, He lives in us as Peace. Even in the presence of enemies, the Lord moves ever closer and delights to bring us a heavenly banquet of faith, hope and love - His peace, that we "will never perish," (v 28). This allows us to be generous with His supply. That could include ministering to those who stand against us. Ask God to give you opportunities to minister from your "overflowing cup." Hallelujah!

6 - Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Jehovah Shammah, God is There! First, He was there in the cloud and pillar of fire; then in tabernacle and in temple. When Jesus came, lived with us, loved us, and died for us, we discovered how much God cared from the beginning.

Because He lives and sits at the right hand of God, heaven awaits us. He is there in all who love Him. The Holy Spirit poured out the love of God into all the "Temples of God" who welcome Christ into their lives. When we join others in Heaven, we will know that the same God who brought us through life, IS THERE waiting for us to worship Him!

We have been refreshed by the word. Now we can move into the week. Want a quick review? You can say to yourself, the Lord is

Rohi, my Shepherd!

Jireh, my Provider,

Tsidkenu, my Righteousness,

Nissi, my Banner,

Shalom, my Peace,

Shamma, my God who is There.

Better yet, just remember -