It is true, Jesus desires to shepherd you. He does not slough off His responsibility to angels or some other heavenly team after you are His. He loves you and stays with you until the very end. And then, when you die and go to heaven, you will be with Him forever. He does not tire of you, nor will He ever become bored. He loves you and so does the Father in heaven.
 
I want you to let these two devotionals soak into your heart this week. God loves you.
 
Think about that. 
 
Psalm 23 (NLT)
 
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
 
Jesus meets your needs. Shepherds meet the needs of the sheep. Shepherds know where the water and the grass are. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus wants you to be full. He wants you to be satisfied, and even more important to Him is spiritual fullness and spiritual satisfaction. You can trust Jesus to provide for you.  
 
John 10:10 (ESV): I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. How can abundance occur without your needs being met. Abundance means that not only are needs met, but there is an abundance left over. The Shepherd takes you to the place of abundance, do you want abundance?
 
2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
 
Rest is so important in your life. Real rest happens in the presence of the Lord. Did you know that you can have physical rest and your soul can still be full of unrest. So-much-so, that you even feel like you didn’t get any physical rest. Many people try to find physical rest when what they need is spiritual rest.
 
Trust me, your body resists spiritual rest. Your body pushes you on toward what it says will provide rest. It says, indulge in this or that, sit here and vacation for awhile. Your body disregards the need for spiritual rest. Spiritual rest is a learned discipline that will add years to your life. Soulful rest will bring your whole being into alignment.
 
Have you ever driven a car with tires that are out of alignment, the wheels being slightly misaligned causes the car to pull to one side, and it wears out the tires on the car, reduces the gas economy too.
 
Searching for the wrong kind of rest will actually cause more wear and tear on you. Tell your body to be quiet and find rest with the Lord and watch what happens.
 
The passage says that He leads us, He lets us find rest. You can say, “Jesus, help me find the right kind of rest. I want to follow You into whatever that is, so teach me.” He will do exactly that because He promises abundance for you and if you can allow yourself to follow Jesus, He will gladly take you there.
 
Listen to His promise to you.
 
Matthew 11:28-30 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.”
 
Sounds good doesn’t it? It real.  
 
3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
 
Jesus the Good Shepherd wants health and vitality for you. Healthy sheep honor the shepherd. If you went to a sheep farmer to buy some sheep and when he took you to the pasture to pick some out and there before your eyes were malnourished, diseased and scrawny sheep would you like what you saw?
 
Would you want to buy those sheep? No, they haven’t been taken care of. Sheep need to be taken care of and provided for. That is the shepherd’s job, right?
 
There is a day when You and I will be presented to the Father in heaven. Jesus wants to present you to His Father without embarrassment. Oh pastor, Jesus would never be ashamed of me.
 
Mark 8:38 (ESV): For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
 
I wonder how Jesus will introduce you?   
 
Colossians 1:21–22 (ESV): And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…
 
Your life brings honor to Jesus as He sits next to the Father in heaven. Your story of redemption puts a smile on the Father’s face, and Jesus too. Actually, everyone who can hear will rejoice at the loving power of God that redeemed your life.
 
Let’s stop right here and rejoice.
 
Father, is my life today something that You rejoice about? I know that I am saved and am going to be with You forever. But beyond that, am I living the life that honors You? Would You move me to that place where I put a smile on Your face, not simply for my regeneration, but also for how I live my life today. You gave to me a wonderful gift and I want to live a full life, worthy of Your calling me into it. Thank You Father and Jesus for all You have done, are doing and will do according to the rich promises I find in You.
 
Blessings, 
Pastor D