The Lord is My Shepherd

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. " - Psalm 23:1

1. Yahweh God - God's name has everything to do with salvation. He declares "I am." He's is the un-caused caused, the uncreated, the ever unchanging. Everything around us changes, but He is immutable and so is His love. We never have to worry that He will change from something impacting Him, because He cannot be impacted.
2. Shepherd God - We are often characterized as sheep. Sheep are known to rely heavily on their vision. They can not go where they can not see. Much like them, we need to "see" to believe. Furthermore, much like a sheep without its shepherd, there is no way we can defend for ourselves without the Lord. Yet like a good shepherd, our Lord gives us both provision and protection.
3. Provisional God - Whether we acknowledge it or not our lives are stuck in a "prison of want." It is the hunger within us to pursue things which detract us from God. No amount of things in this world will ever satisfy you. So how do you get out of the prison of want?
   (1) Your stuff isn't yours - You can't take anything out of this world. You came into this world naked and you will leave this world naked. It never has and never will belong to you.
   (2) You stuff isn't you - What you possess doesn't define who you are. What defines you is what is in your heart. A man's life isn't defined by the abundance of his possessions. What we have in God is greater than what we don't have in life. It isn't about what you have, it's who are in the face of the Lord.

Wealth may wither away, friends may turns away and even our youth will eventually erode with the flow of time, but as long as you have your character and your faith, then you have everything you will ever need. You can lose everything, but do not lose your soul for a fleeting temptation for it is nothing more than a speck in the face of eternity.

--from Nakwon EM May 25th 2008 Sunday Worship Service

bah ram ewe~