Oh we heard the MOST wonderful sermon
a few Sundays ago!
I had been thinking on Psalm 23.
And the sermon was on Psalm 23!
Funny how that works sometimes. :)
How many sermons have you heard
preached on that Psalm?
I'm guessing...not many.
I hadn't.
It seems that it is so
COMMON.
But it is not!
The truths found within it are
WONDERFUL!
So rich and full and encouraging.
The pastor pointed out that
it is thought that Psalms 22, 23 and 24
were originally meant to be read together ~ as a unit.
Interesting.
Psalm 22 is the Psalm of the Cross.
Psalm 23 is the Psalm of the Crook (as in Shepherd's).
And Psalm 24 is the Psalm of the Crown.
Often, Psalm 23 is read as a death-Psalm,
but it really is full of life and living!
We ought to be encouraged as we take the time to
meditate and digest what is really there.
Is the Lord Jesus YOUR Shepherd?
Are you HIS sheep?
Personalize this Psalm if HE is and if you are.
Think about what a human shepherd will do for his sheep.
How much more precious it is that our Shepherd is
the ALL knowing, ALL seeing, ALL compassionate God!
We are in VERY good hands!
We are SECURE.
We will never fall away...
because HE KEEPS US!!
As you think on these familiar verses in this Psalm,
compare what you read to the verses in John 10:11-18
and John 10:26-29.
Oh how WONDERFUL!!
~ Psalm 23 ~
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
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.
Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of
the LORD for ever."
Prayerfully consider these verses
as they pertain to you.
Do you belong to HIM?
I pray that you do.
If you do not, the Bible tells us ~
"For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
John 6:37
HE will recieve you if you
come to Him in repentance and faith.
Trust HIM.
HE alone can save you from
eternal destruction,
set your feet on solid ground,
and give you an eternal hope!
May the LORD bless each of you this weekend,
kind friends, with HIS rich goodness ~
May HE lead you gently unto Himself.
In His Love,
Camille
**All photos in this post courtesy of my friend Christa @
Country Hearts at Home
Thank you so much! :)
15 comments:
Always a shining light for the Gospel, dear friend! I love this Psalm, but I didn't know those three were to be read as a unit. Was this a sermon at church?
Isn't our security in Christ Jesus such a comfort? May you have a beautiful weekend thanking Him for His many mercies.
Dear Camille,
My hubby is taking Bible college classes offered through our church and last week he had to give a sermon on Psalm 23. I was not there, but I have heard from others that he did a great job.
Beautiful scripture and pictures...thank you for sharing my friend!
Blessings!
~Nadine
Beautiful post, Camille! And I thought I recognized those sheep photos!;~P
Whats a beautiful and OH SO true post. Loved the photos you added along with your post. I have never thought to read Psalm 22,23,24 together...but I WILL today.
Thank you.
Have a blessed weeekend.
Oh Camille.............beautiful.....love the Psalms. Those pictures gave me such a warm feeling as I read your post. We have helped a neighbor down the road with their little orphan lambs.
Yes He is my Shepherd.......and yes I belong to Him. Thankful it all depends on Him and not me. He has engraved my name in the palm of His Hand.......grateful! Thank you for this beautiful post Camille........you are sooooo precious! Hugs, Linda
Great post Camille...so very glad He is my Shepherd...and I am such a poor sheep sometimes! I am reminded over and over again that it is all of His grace and nothing of me. So thankful for the Good Shepherd! Thank you my dear friend, Jackie
Dear Trisha ~ How WONDERFUL it is to be secure in HIM!! Thank you for your sweet encouragement...may the LORD bless you this weekend! :)
Dear Nadine ~ Oh how exciting that your husband is able to take Bible College classes...what a blessing! This Psalm IS rich with lovely truths...what a wonderful Psalm to be *required* to preach from ~ it sounds like it was a blessing to many! :)
Dear Raeann ~ Thank you! LOL...yes, the sheep!! I had been thinking about doing this post back when Christa featured sheep on her blog...I asked permission to use her photos and she graciously said "YES"!! They fit in perfectly, don't they? :)
Dear Treasures ~ I'm sure it will be a blessing to your soul as you read these three chapters together...they are so wonderfully rich!! Isn't God's Word such a blessing? Have a lovely weekend! :)
Dear Linda ~ So lovely to hear from you...and so thankful that you say with a full heart these words..."Thankful it all depends on Him and not me." Incredible, isn't it?? How wonderful it is to REST there...in HIS completed work! :)
Dear Jackie ~ Oh yes!! ALL of grace! I can relate to the "poor sheep" comment...but that is exactly why we are referred to as sheep...we constantly need HIM!! How gently HE leads us along...and how faithful HE is!! I am SO thankful too! :)
Blessings to each of you!
In HIS Love,
Camille
Thanks for sharing, Camille. I reminds me of the series of sermons one pastor did of the lamb, all the significance of the lamb through the old testament and new testament, where Jesus is the Lamb of God who took the sins of the world upon himself when he was sacrificed on the cross. Yes, I believe! His sheep am I!
Dear Becky ~ How wonderful to have sermons preached that feed the soul!! How precious our Saviour is!! I am so glad your testimony is that you belong to HIM! Have a lovely weekend!
Blessings,
Camille
Dear Camille,
I love this psalm. I read a book a couple of years ago. I think it was called, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.
You are blessed to hear such a wonderful sermon.
In His Love,
Virginia
Dear Virginia ~ Oh I think I have that book on loan to me...I need to look at it again! Thanks for the reminder, and thank you for stopping by tonight. :) Have a wonderful LORD's Day!
In Him,
Camille
Camille,
Isn't it so sweet to think about how nurturing a shepherd is, and how Christ is that to us? Yes, I belong to Him. Thanks for the reminder and for glorifying our precious Savior today:)
In His grace,
Teresa
Dear Teresa ~ May the LORD truly be glorified in all we do! HE is a wonderful Saviour...I am so glad you belong to HIM!! :)
In His Love,
Camille
Josiah is memorizing this in AWANAS right now. I, too, don't know why people use it as "death scripture". It is full of hope for the living!
Dear Jackie ~ Oh how wonderful that your boy is learning this Psalm by heart...it is such a blessing to hide HIS Word inside us, isn't it? AND at such a young age too...I'm so glad to hear it!! :)
Blessings,
Camille
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