Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and song from Marty Goetz singing his version of … Psalm 23 … poignantly singing of how the Lord is our Shepherd and we are His sheep.
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Highlight Verse[s]: John 10:14 [NLT] … 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, … “
… Jesus declares that as our “Good Shepherd,” … His flock (i.e., His disciples) know Him and follow Him.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 10:11-15 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus declares that He is our “Good Shepherd;” … and we as His sheep will follow Him.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
… We trust in our “Good Shepherd” … to follow Him wherever He leads us.
Reference Passage : … Isaiah 53:6 [NLT] … 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
… We are all like wayward sheep … wondering away from our Shepherd. Yet He will seek those who will follow the Good Shepherd.
Reference Passage : … Matthew 9:36 [NLT] … 36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
… No matter where we go or what we encounter, our eyes of faith will allow us to find His way in life.
Reference Passage : … Luke 15:1-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep, showing that He will pursue anyone who is lost or wayward as a Shepherd pursues any of his wayward lambs.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, uses an English “Futbol” illustration to illustrate how we need to declare our Lord as our “Good Shepherd.” The ODB author wrote: An intriguing element of English football is the team anthem sung by the fans at the start of each match. These songs range from the fun (“Glad All Over”) to the whimsical (“I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles”) to the surprising. “Psalm 23,” for instance, is the anthem of the club from West Bromwich Albion. [Link to see/hear the stadium singing the anthem]
The words of that psalm appear on the façade inside the team’s stadium, declaring to everyone who comes to watch the “West Brom Baggies” in the care of the good, great, and chief Shepherd.
And that English football example of following our Good Shepherd, as David declared in His oft quoted Psalm 23, may be a bit worldly; however, since we, God’s sheep (see Is. 53:6) are God’s worldly and wayward lambs, we should be often praying/singing Psalm 23 as does Marty Goetz in his lovely version (see linked song).
As I heard Marty’s new version of David’s song today and meditated on today’s ODB scriptures, [see reference passages], I realized that my “Good Shepherd” had pursued me as one of His lost lambs [see Luke 15] several decades ago and brought me back to His flock as a wounded lamb; so that I can - and do - follow Him now anywhere He might lead me.
I pray that our Lord is the GOOD Shepherd of anyone reading with me here today.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for being my Good Shepherd.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to follow our Lord as our Good Shepherd wherever He will lead us. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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