Bible Studies

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The Songs
Psalm 23 - A Life Worth Living

Key Verses: (KJ21)

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

Points to Contemplate:

• Is the Lord your shepherd? Think once again about the lives of the early Christians in Acts 2. Do you find evidence of the promises from this Psalm being fulfilled? Can you see how God laid them down in the green pastures of community living? Do you see how their fears in a terrifying world were calmed and their worries of an unknown future comforted? When God added to their numbers daily in the midst of hatred and persecution, was He not preparing a table for them in the presence of their enemies? Did their cups of blessing not overflow? Didn't goodness and mercy follow them all the days of their lives? Do you see how these promises can come alive in your life, too, once you allow the Lord to be your shepherd?
  
  
• Do you fear evil? Do you feel that Satan is constantly waging a war to undermine your faith and trust in God? Are the powers of darkness winning the day? Do you feel that if you are not actively involved in a spiritual warfare that Satan will rule the earth? Don't you have faith in God? Doesn't He promise to be with you? Isn't His rod and staff a comfort? Wasn't Jesus victorious over death? Isn't He alive today, living inside you and leading you to glory? Why do you continue to have fear? Isn't your future as a Christian already guaranteed?
  
  
• Do you dwell in the house of the Lord? If not, when are you planning to move in? Will it be after you take care of a few things in your life? Do you have an agenda or plan that you want follow before turning your life over to God? Are you putting God's goodness and mercy on hold? Are you counting your blessings to see if your cup is overflowing? Are you looking for a bigger cup? Do you see that now is the time to move into God's house and that His promises of life can begin today?
  

Promise of the Gospel:

When we study the lives of the early Christians in Acts we come away scratching our heads. How could they give up everything in their lives in order to study God's teachings in a tight-knit community of faith? We tend to believe that this type of experience is not possible in today's world. There are too many distractions and the powers of evil are too strong. We are small and helpless in this world of mega-corporations. Yet, when we look again at their lives, especially in context to the twenty-third Psalm, we see that God fulfilled His promises to them. Why? Because they chose to turn and focus their lives on God. He became the center of everything they did. When this occurs, goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives and we will live in the house of the Lord forever. We can choose to move into His house today. The front door is open and Christ is leading the way.

FUMC Devotionals
Faithwriters Magazine
BLOG: Reflections from the Heart

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