tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176231645022543980.post827658225129451695..comments2024-03-28T16:38:25.884-07:00Comments on Celebrate the Psalms: Psalm for Sunday, October 12, 2014Editor @ Parishworld.nethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11351018547370080019noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176231645022543980.post-18911749824621147032014-10-09T11:05:39.060-07:002014-10-09T11:05:39.060-07:00Psalm 23 is one of those passages that I memorized...Psalm 23 is one of those passages that I memorized as a child. A wonderful teacher made our entire class do so. With great pleasure, I have made my kids memorize it too. I learned by example and I pray that my kids will one day instruct their children to do the same. In this one instance, I feel that I have been obedient to the call. <br /><br />This psalm of confidence and trust visually describes how obedient sheep are rewarded. We sheep might be dumb, but we can still have a heart of faith and the sense to hear his call. If we do so... we "will fear no evil, even in the valley of the shadow of death" (v. 4) and later (v.6) we "will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."J Kimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176231645022543980.post-5563112330724547172014-10-07T17:54:59.245-07:002014-10-07T17:54:59.245-07:00The Lord is my Shepherd. For those who have not pl...The Lord is my Shepherd. For those who have not placed their trust in Christ, He is not their Shepherd. Unless He is your Savior, He is not your Shepherd. If He is not your Savior, then He will be your Judge someday (Rev 20).<br /><br />When the Lord is my Shepherd, I will lack for nothing, for only He can bring satisfaction, and I find that my satisfaction is in Him, not in things, so why should I want for anything when I have all things in Him?<br /><br />I was dead in my sins but He restored my soul because the Shepherd willingly gave His life for His sheep.<br /><br />Sheep are about the dumbest of all of God’s creatures, and we are like sheep, every one of us (Isaiah 53:6). Consequently, we go through the valleys of, what appears to be, imminent death at times. God never promises to keep us out of these valleys of death or prevent us from going through them, but He does say that He will go “through the valley” with us. And if there is a shadow, this must mean the Son is still shining somewhere.<br /><br />His rod corrects us when we need it. He corrects every son or daughter that He loves. When my children were wrong I corrected them, not only because they needed it but because I loved them. If I didn’t love them, I wouldn’t care enough to correct them.<br /><br />Goodness and mercy will follow, even when I stray off the path. This “surely” means with certainty. This goodness and mercy stay with me even when I don’t deserve it. Mercy is where I don’t get what I do deserve, and His goodness is what I do get but don’t deserve.<br /><br />I claim today that The Lord is My Shepherd. Therefore “goodness and mercy” will surely follow me in this life and in the life to come.<br /><br /> Rudy Hnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176231645022543980.post-15981435307075285782014-10-07T17:45:14.202-07:002014-10-07T17:45:14.202-07:00We all sin, time and time again, so why do I think...We all sin, time and time again, so why do I think that good people like us will some day be living in God’s mansions? Simply because God didn’t make us junk. There’s lots of really, really bad people out there….you read about them in the newspapers, and see them on the TV. And fortunately, I believe that living in this country, in 2014, I truly believe we are blessed, if we just try to follow in His footsteps. Just be thankful we don’t live in a war torn region of the world. May God continue to bless all of us.Timnoreply@blogger.com