Tag Archives: forgiveness

The 23rd Psalm: A Shepherd’s Assurance

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The Lord is my shepherd! What does this Psalm mean? In my familiarity with it, I have missed the power of it. 

V.1 tells me that I belong to the Shepherd. It is an intimate relationship and quite one sided. Sheep must depend completely on the Shepherd. They have no natural defense system. Also, the Good Shepherd loves His sheep. This verse assures me of who I am and whose I am. To know that I belong to the Good Shepherd would truly be enough…But wait! There’s more! 

V.2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 

Here I get a glimpse of the garden and the original relationship man had with the Creator. Green pastures and still waters brings to mind, beauty, comfort and tranquility. And looking ahead to the rest (the eternal sabbath) I long for. If verses 1 and 2 were all that this Psalm contained, it would be sufficient. But King David doesn’t stop there. 

V.3 He restores my soul.

My soul is my eternal being. Sin created enmity between myself and my Creator. This verse is the promise of a Savior. Jesus! The one that restores me to the original relationship between man and God. Where I can walk with Him in the cool of the day. An intimate relationship. In these first three verses, I have enough to be assured of my standing with my Abba, my Father and Jesus my Savior. Only in that restoration can I say, like the Psalmist, He leads me in paths of righteousness for His names sake. My life should reflect the righteousness of Jesus and in doing so, draw men to Him. He is good! Let all that see me, know this truth!

 V.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. 

Things get a bit dark here. “I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. This verse is just keeping it real. I live in a fallen world, in a fallen body and I have an enemy that roams about like a ROARING lion, seeking whom he may DEVOUR. The writer here use’s strong language because it is a very real danger. 

Yet even here I hear the Shepherds voice say, fear no evil! His shepherds staff (of direction) and His rod (of protection and correction) are comforting. Really?? YES! Did you hear what He said? I am with you. Jesus spoke the words. I will never leave you nor forsake you!! In His great love, He promised to lead, protect, and at times, when necessary, to correct. Everything a Good Father is supposed to do. And If God be for us, who can be against us?

V.5 Thou preparest a table before me. 

I have always thought about food when I have read this part. But, herein lies a type and shadow of the Last Supper. I see the servant Jesus as He prepares to wash the disciples feet. As I think about my Lord, kneeling down to wash my dirty feet, I am overcome with humility and understand how Peter felt when he said, No Lord! I can imagine Jesus’s gentle rebuke, If I don’t, you have no part in me. Then I, like Peter, crumble and say, then not just my feet but all of me! 

Nothing draws people to Jesus like humility. The servant is humble. The unrepentant sinner knows shame and feels judgement. Pride will push him away and reinforce those beliefs. But the sinner, that has been saved by grace, is a beacon of light in the darkness proclaiming, I once was lost but now I’m found, I once was blind, but now I see!! 

Thou anointest my head with oil. These words mean that I am chosen, set apart, or commissioned for a holy task. In the Old Testament, only the priest could go into the Holy of Holies where Gods presence dwelt. When Jesus died, the temple veil was torn in two. This symbolizes our reconciliation with God that we might all come BOLDLY before the throne of grace. The purifying rituals that the priest had to do before he could even enter the Holy of Holies, (which included anointing the priest head with oil), Jesus fulfilled. 

My cup runneth over. 

Yes! It does! 

V.7 SURELY goodness and mercy shall follow me. 

Surely means, a firm belief in what the writer is saying. That it is true and without doubt. It is proclaimed with assurance and confidence. David KNEW, that he KNEW, that he KNEW!! God’s goodness is promised no matter what my circumstances. It all has purpose. All things work together for good! And His mercy endureth forever! His mercy, like a holy broom, following behind me and sweeping up my mistakes, and throwing them in the trash bin of forgiveness and forgotten sins. 

I will never see this Psalm the same again. I will remember that the goodness of God and His promises are contained in these 6 simple verses. 

Praise the Lord! 

Kissed by Grace

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Where sin did abound, grace did much more abound. (Romans 5:20b)

Why? Why does God pour out so much grace into our lives? Why, no matter how often we fail, or how far we run, or how sinful we can be, does He continue to pour out His grace on us? Is it merely to save us from hell? Our eternal “ticket” to heaven? Let us not forget the high price He paid in order to  offer us such abundant grace.

No matter how hard I try, or perhaps, more correctly, how little I try, to truly press in to His high calling, I continually fall short. I tarnish my witness with my words, or I walk in a way that deems me completely unworthy of the title “Christian”. My heart can often be hardened by others actions or inactions, and I look anything but “like” Christ. Yet, when I approach the Majesty of Mercy with humility and full knowledge of how unlike Him I continue to be, He pours the oil of grace over my head and covers me so completely that , in His sight, all of my unrighteousness completely disappears.

I cannot comprehend why God would do this? Perhaps…could it possibly be…that He actually thinks I am worth it? That I am so precious to Him that He desires to be with me for all eternity? That truly sounds absurd. But that is exactly the reason God pours His grace, His limitless grace, on me.

His desire from the moment He breathed His eternal breath into man was intimate relationship. Think of the intimacy of a kiss. Imagine the actions of someone attempting to revive a person that has drowned or for some other reason is no longer breathing. Mouth to mouth. God literally kissed us into an eternal existence with complete knowledge of how unfaithful we would be. He knew before His lips ever touched His creation that it would be a relationship that would cost Him everything. Yet, still He leaned over and bestowed the first kiss recorded in all of history on the lips of His creation even as the smell of the damp earth, used to form him, lingered.

The only thing I can think to compare that kind of love with is how I felt when they placed my newborn child into my arms for the first time.  I was overwhelmed with a desire to protect and a love that was so intense it caught me by surprise.

And if I, a parent full of shortcomings and imperfections, can love like that, than it becomes easier to understand, or perhaps in some small way comprehend, the reason for God’s abundant grace.

Do you think you have fallen to far to feel His grace? Are you haunted by your past? Or perhaps there is a particular sin that you can’t seem to shake, and you wonder if you can really come to Him one more time for the same sin.  Hebrews 4:16 tells us to  come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I pray  today that you feel the gentle kiss of grace that is freely offered from your loving Father.