23

1The Lord is my shepherd;

    I have all that I need.

2 He lets me rest in green meadows;

    he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3     He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

    My cup overflows with blessings.

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

1-3 God, my shepherd!

    I don’t need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,

    you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.

4 Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side.

Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.



5 You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.

You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.



6 Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.

I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.

2 He provides me rest in rich, green fields beside streams of refreshing water.

    He soothes my fears;

3 He makes me whole again,

    steering me off worn, hard paths

    to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.

4 Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,


    I am not overcome by fear.


Because You are with me in those dark moments,


    near with Your protection and guidance,


    I am comforted.






5 You spread out a table before me,


    provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies;


You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil,


    filling my cup again and again with Your grace.


6 Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me


    where I go, always, everywhere.


I will always be with the Eternal, in Your house forever.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's what the translators had to say about this passage...

“Psalm 23 is the best known and most beloved psalm in the collection.

Surprisingly, it casts humanity as sheep—stupid, helpless sheep.

But the long-lasting appeal of Psalm 23 is a direct result of that casting because the imagery is both soothing and accessible.

When he was a boy, King David was a shepherd watching his father’s flocks in the hills around Bethlehem.



In those days, too, it was common to refer to kings in the Near East as shepherds;



but not all shepherd-kings cared for their sheep.



Though David tried to shepherd his people well, he knew the truth:



the Eternal is the true Shepherd.






In John 10:11 Jesus makes a bold claim.



He declares that He is the good shepherd.



Immediately His disciples detected the resonance of Psalm 23 in His words.



Those of us who follow Jesus today come to know Him as that gentle but strong shepherd who guides us through life if we will follow Him.

a prayer

Father...

You have examined my heart & know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I'm far away.

You see me when I travel & when I rest at home.

You know everything I do.

You know what I am going to say even before I say it.

You both precede & follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,

and your strength will support me.

I could ask the darkness to hide me & the light around me to become night;

but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

Darkness and light are the same to you.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body & knit me together in my mother's womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

They cannot be numbered!

I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up, you are still with me!


Search me, O God, & know my heart;

test me & know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you, & lead me along the path of everlasting life.

3 words

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Then Jesus said,

“Come to me,

all of you who are weary

and carry heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you.

Let me teach you,

because I am humble and gentle at heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy to bear,

and the burden I give you is light.” (NLT)

28 “Come to me

all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry.

I will give you rest.

29 Accept my teaching.

Learn from me.

I am gentle and humble in spirit.

And you will be able to get some rest.

30 Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy.

The load I give you to carry is light.” (ERV)

28 Come to me,

all who labor

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you,

and learn from me,

for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy,

and my burden is light.” (ESV)

28-30 “Come to me,

all of you who are weary and over-burdened,

and I will give you rest!

Put on my yoke

and learn from me.

For I am gentle and humble in heart

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy

and my burden is light.” (J B Phillips)

28-30 “Are you tired?

Worn out?

Burned out on religion?

Come to me.

Get away with me

and you’ll recover your life.

I’ll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me

and work with me;

watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with me

and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (The Message)

28 “Come to me,

all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy

and my burden is light.” (NIV)

28 Come to Me,

all who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

29 Put My yoke upon your shoulders;

it might appear heavy at first,

but it is perfectly fitted to your curves.

Learn from Me,

for I am gentle and humble of heart.

When you are yoked to Me,

your weary souls will find rest.

30 For My yoke is easy,

and My burden is light. (The Voice)

I think the operative words spoken by Jesus in each of these different translations are the same...

Come to Me...

Maybe our lives would be a whole lot better if we remember those words of Jesus, & went to Him for connection & help.

Remember today what Jesus perpetually says to us, no matter what, in any circumstance, whatever our needs or wants, or whatever...

Come to Me...

clinging

This verse was one of the verses I held on to in 2008 & 2009 during a terrific transition in my life.

It is still a verse that speaks to my life, 8+ years later.

This is jesus speaking here.

Maybe it may speak to your life, too...

Matthew 10:39

 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. (NLT)

Those who try to keep the life they have will lose it. But those who give up their life for me will find true life. (ERV)

The man who has found his own life will lose it, but the man who has lost it for my sake will find it. (J B Phillips)

“If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me. (The Message)

Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (NIV)

To find your life, you must lose your life—and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (The Voice)

harvesters

Matthew 9

35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area,

teaching in the synagogues

and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom.

And he healed every kind of disease and illness.

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them

because they were confused and helpless,

like sheep without a shepherd.

37 He said to his disciples,

"The harvest is great,

but the workers are few.

38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest;

ask him to send more workers into his fields."

Truly “the workers are few.”

Very few people choose the God life – a life totally guided & directed by God.

So many choose to pursue “the American Dream”, or whatever we want to call it.

Living the life of a worker in the harvest that Jesus calls us to in this passage is not an easy life.

It means letting go of our lives, our hopes, our dreams – our everything.

And it seems fewer & fewer people are willing to be that, & do that.

I wonder where you & I would be today if the people who impacted & influenced us to follow Jesus had been more interested in having the American Dream & less about reaching out to people like you & me, pointing us to Jesus?

Not a pretty thought...

4 for '17

Just want to share the 4 passages I feel like I'm supposed to hold on to during 2017.

And trust me... I've been holding on with a death grip...

Notice how all 4 of them start out – I didn't notice that until maybe March...

Don't be afraid, for I am with you.

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you.

I will help you.

I will uphold you with My victorious hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Do not be afraid or discouraged,

for the Lord is the One who goes before you.

He will be with you.

He will neither fail you or forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:8

“Don't be afraid. Just trust Me.” Luke 8:50b Jesus is speaking to Jairus.

Psalm 37

1 Don't worry about the wicked
  or envy those who do wrong.2 For like grass, they soon fade away.
  Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good.
  Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.4 Take delight in the LORD,
  and he will give you your heart's desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the LORD.
  Trust him, and he will help you.6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
  and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
7 Be still in the presence of the LORD,
  and wait patiently for him to act.
Don't worry about evil people who prosper
  or fret about their wicked schemes.
8 Stop being angry!
  Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
  it only leads to harm.9 For the wicked will be destroyed,
  but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land.
10 Soon the wicked will disappear.
  Though you look for them, they will be gone.11 The lowly will possess the land
  and will live in peace and prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the godly;
  they snarl at them in defiance.13 But the Lord just laughs,
  for he sees their day of judgment coming.
14 The wicked draw their swords
  and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
  to slaughter those who do right.15 But their swords will stab their own hearts,
  and their bows will be broken.
16 It is better to be godly and have little
  than to be evil and rich.17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
  but the LORD takes care of the godly.
18 Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent,
  and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.19 They will not be disgraced in hard times;
  even in famine they will have more than enough.
20 But the wicked will die.
  The LORD's enemies are like flowers in a field—
  they will disappear like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and never repay,
  but the godly are generous givers.22 Those the LORD blesses will possess the land,
  but those he curses will die.
23 The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
  He delights in every detail of their lives.24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
  for the LORD holds them by the hand.
25 Once I was young, and now I am old.
  Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
  or their children begging for bread.26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
  and their children are a blessing.
27 Turn from evil and do good,
  and you will live in the land forever.28 For the LORD loves justice,
  and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,
  but the children of the wicked will die.29 The godly will possess the land
  and will live there forever.
30 The godly offer good counsel;
  they teach right from wrong.31 They have made God's law their own,
  so they will never slip from his path.
32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
  looking for an excuse to kill them.33 But the LORD will not let the wicked succeed
  or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.
34 Put your hope in the LORD.
  Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
  You will see the wicked destroyed.
35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
  flourishing like a tree in its native soil.36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
  Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
37 Look at those who are honest and good,
  for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.38 But the rebellious will be destroyed;
  they have no future.
39 The LORD rescues the godly;
  he is their fortress in times of trouble.40 The LORD helps them,
  rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
  and they find shelter in him.

7 in The Message

Matthew 7

1-5 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment.

That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.

It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own.

Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt?

It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part.

Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.

6 “Don’t be flip with the sacred.
Banter and silliness give no honor to God.
Don’t reduce holy mysteries to slogans.
In trying to be relevant, you’re only being cute and inviting sacrilege.






7-11 “Don’t bargain with God.
Be direct.
Ask for what you need.
This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in.
If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust?
If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate?
As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing.
You’re at least decent to your own children.
So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?






12 “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior:
Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.
Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.

13-14 “Don’t look for shortcuts to God.
The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time.
Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do.
The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.






15-20 “Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity.
Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other.
Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character.
Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say.
A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook.
These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.






21-23 “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me.
What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills.
I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’
And do you know what I am going to say?
‘You missed the boat.
All you did was use me to make yourselves important.
You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’






24-25 “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living.
They are foundational words, words to build a life on.
If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock.
Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house.
It was fixed to the rock.






26-27 “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach.
When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”






28-29 When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause.
They had never heard teaching like this.
It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying;
quite a contrast to their religion teachers!
This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

6 in The Message

Matthew 6

“Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.

2-4 “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.

5 “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
6 “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
7-13 “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
    as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
    Yes. Yes. Yes.
14-15 “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.
16-18 “When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.

19-21 “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
22-23 “Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
24 “You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both.
25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.