January 25, 2019 - I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED

Day 24 - (Today’s Bible readings: 1 Samuel 2:12-26; Psalm 23; Acts 24:1-27)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1 ESV)

Who would not want the Lord to be his/her shepherd? That is what I thought when I was a young boy. What a confusion of what the verse actually means!

Many people are also confused about the Good Shepherd. They think that Jesus is there to satisfy their every desire. And when God doesn’t come through as they wish, they give up on Him. How sad, because they’re giving up on the only one who can give them exactly what they need.

When it comes to worldly things, Paul teaches us about priorities: “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 ESV)

When it comes to spiritual things, Psalm 23 declares: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (V6)

We truly have all we need in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, all promised to those who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

The King of Love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His.
And He is mine forever.
("The King of Love My Shepherd Is,"   Lutheran Service Book #709)

Dearest Jesus, my Good Shepherd, thank You for taking care of my biggest need by paying for my sins on the cross. Please keep me contentedly close to you forever. Amen.

Pastor David Paape 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), is the theme for this three-year journey through the entire Old Testament once (the Psals - twice yearly), and the New Testament twice. There will be daily readings from the O.T., Psalms and the N.T. Special days on the church calendar will be highlighted with appropriate readings. This calendar has been compiled by representatives of the Lutheran Church of Canada, the North American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please click this link for the daily reading calendar:
https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/lcms-lcc-and-nalc-compile-three-year-schedule-of-daily-bible-readings
Then scroll down to 2019 Bible Reading Calendar and download it if you so wish. The “assigned” daily readings will appear on a daily basis in this blog. May the Lord bless your meditation upon His precious life-giving Word!