Today is Wednesday, December 20th, 2006; Karen's Korner #958

Statistics tell that for some Christmas is a sad and depressing time of year. For many of those, it could be when we focus on troubles and things in 'our' world or 'the' world we wish were different.
 
I am sharing a recent daily devotional written by Jeff White. He talks about a shepherd and what the shepherd does with and for his sheep. Christmas is the time when Our Shepherd came to earth to herd us in the right direction.............emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, physically.
 
Most of us know the first line of the 23rd Psalm: "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want." I like my Living Bible translation:  "Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need!" Big difference between wants and needs. I might have lots of things on my wants list. But needs? When I focus on the Good Shepherd, I know that He is all I "need", I know some other things on my list might be just "wishes". 
 
From Jeff:
 

I am the good shepherd.
I know my sheep as the Father knows me.
And my sheep know me.

John 10:14

     The shepherd knows his sheep. He calls them by name and they respond.

 

     I recently attended a sheep herding trial with my border collie.  We weren’t competing, just watching.  It was interesting to watch the difference in the behavior and attitude of the sheep.  The owner/shepherd of the sheep would walk in the ring, call to the sheep and they would follow him to the start pen.  A competitor would enter the pen, and unless their dog was very good at his job, the sheep would scatter and try to avoid this strange person and their dog.  At the end of that run, in would walk the owner and here would come his sheep.

 

     The Lord is my shepherd.  He knows my needs and I’ll never lack for anything.  He provides a home for my rest and sustenance for my body.  He protects me and leads my because I am his child.  When afraid he comforts me, when surrounded by enemies he reassures me.  He crowned me as royalty, I have more than I deserve.  He will be with me as my shepherd and I will live with him forever.

 

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