"The LORD is my SHEPHERD!"

Psalms 23:1-6                  (KJV)

"1 "The LORD is my SHEPHERD"; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

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.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 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."

Does the same old mundane life experiences get boring to us sometime?  Would you like more excitement and surprise in your life?  Just this morning in my brief time awake my MIND has been inundated with evil as the enemy seems to be glorying over his accomplishments.  An escaped prisoner in the county I live in.  A woman kidnapped and murdered in a city a couple of hours from where I live.  The southern border of our nation letting anyone in who desires to get in.  One is left to imagine what will our MINDS be subjected to next? 

When my MIND begins to focus on the things of this world, my HEART is directed to the 23rd Psalms!  "The LORD is my SHEPHERD" reminds me that even though I WALK (not run in fear) "through the valley of the shadow of death" that the reason there is a valley is because of the mountains on either side of the valley!   Today I need to remind myself that the Creator of ALL is my Shepherd, my caregiver, my protector, my sustainer, my shield!  The GOD who spoke the worlds into existence provided redemption for me through JESUS CHRIST!  

The photo below is reportedly a quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the famed British preacher of the mid-late 1800's.  "A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clown entertaining the goats" is a graphically true statement.  I can not fathom knowing in the late 1800's about the technology that exists in the early 2000's.  But today's preachers seem to be more interested in how many people come to Sunday morning worship,AND how much those people give, than if those people are grazing in the meadows of GOD's Word!  And the "goats" who are listening to these preachers are more interested in the football game AFTER church, or the business deal next week, or the condo on the beach than having their lives molded into an example of GOD's grace for ALL to see?

HEAVENLY FATHER, my prayer is to always remember that I am crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) to be an example to those who have NO HOPE and NO DIRECTION in life!  "The LORD is my SHEPHERD" will be something I try to live even though I walk "through the valley of the shadow of death" so others can see GOD's grace on display in my life!  People need to see a Shepherd, not a clown!