“The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing.” When the rich young ruler came to Jesus seeking the way to eternal life, he was not just asking how to get to heaven. As many Bible scholars point out, the phrase “eternal life” encompasses a lot more than going to heaven…

Tending sheep was and is a dirty job. By the time of Jesus, shepherds were considered unclean. They were despised, considered untrustworthy, and were not allowed to be witnesses in a court of law, which, by the way, brings us to an interesting observation. It was shepherds who were the…

“ . . . you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” These are the words of Jesus to Peter after he recommissioned him on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. If you remember the…

“The sheep of his pasture” is how we are described in verse 3 of Psalm 100. I don’t like thinking of myself as a sheep. I doubt you do either. But it’s a common description of God’s people in scripture. Jesus often referred to himself as the shepherd and his…

Pali-pali is a common expression in Korea. It means “Hurry up!” Most people I know don’t need to be told to hurry up, they need to be told to slow down. Life moves at a frantic pace. Sometimes it’s all we can do to keep up. But something I’ve learned…

I’ve made a habit of praying both the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 every morning. I pray both passages of scripture slowly, allowing my mind to reflect on people and circumstances in my life. I believe the Holy Spirit is a vital part of this practice, and I can tell…

I am encouraged by the fact that King David was a pretty messed-up guy. But he was a messed-up guy who cried out to and for God. In my book, Philemon: Reflections on Christian Maturity, I share Cheryl Goddard’s definition of marriage. Marriage, says Cheryl, is two dysfunctional people who…

Using the most picturesque and expressive poetry, David describes in Psalm 23 not only the story of his life but the stories of countless others throughout the centuries who have experienced life with God as their Shepherd. For me, like many of you, I can say that this is not…

Psalm 23 gives us some incredible insights into one of the most enigmatic, and at the same time, godly servants to be found in our Bibles. David was the youngest son in his family. When the prophet and judge, Samuel, came looking for God’s chosen king, David was not even…