The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)
One cannot have it both ways. Either we belong or we don’t. Jesus Himself warned us that there would come a day when many would say, “Lord, in Your name we did many wonderful things,” but He will retort that He never knew us as His own.
It is a most serious and sobering thought which should make us search our own hearts and motives and personal relationship to Himself.
- Do I really belong to Him?
- Do I really recognize His right to me?
- Do I respond to His authority and acknowledge His ownership?
- Do I find freedom and complete fulfillment in this arrangement?
- Do I sense a purpose and deep contentment because I am under His direction?
- Do I know rest and repose, besides a definite sense of exciting adventure, in belonging to Him?
If so, then with genuine gratitude and exaltation I can exclaim proudly, just as David did, “The LORD is my Shepherd!” and I’m thrilled to belong to Him, for it is thus that I shall flourish and thrive no matter what life may bring to me. — a Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller