The Lord Is My Shepherd

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Identity - The Lord Is My Shepherd - Psalm 23:1-3 - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Identity – The Lord Is My Shepherd – Psalm 23:1-3 – Growing As Disciples

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3

Sheep

Do you like it here? Yes, I do. What do you like about it? It’s so quiet and still. There is only the sound of a quiet stream. I can relax here. I don’t have anything or anyone demanding my time and attention. I feel like I can breathe. Yes, take some slow, deep breaths. Rest, here in my presence.

Take this all in. The air is so crisp and fresh. With each breath, I feel like I’m being revived and restored. I have been so busy. The pace of my life has been frantic. I had no idea how worn out I was until you brought me to this place. Right now I can feel the tension leaving my body as I lay back in this green pasture, resting. Yes, very good, let go of all the worries and burdens you have been carrying. Lay them down here at my feet. That’s ok, I can do that? Yes, absolutely. That’s why I brought you here. You have been troubled by many things. It’s time for you to give them to me. Really? Yes, really. Ok, I will. I feel so much lighter now. It’s like you have lifted a burden off my shoulders. I didn’t realize I was carrying so much. Now you do, though? Yes, it feels so good.

Thank you for letting me set them down for a while. Oh, you don’t get to pick them up again. Why not? If I don’t carry all these burdens, who will? I will. That’s why you have laid them at my feet. You were never meant to carry this load. How do you feel about that? I feel so relieved and thankful I could cry. You are so good to me. You take such loving care of me. I am your Good Shepherd, you know. You were one bruised and battered sheep when I brought you back to this place.

Sorry, that I got so off the path and wandered away from you. It brings me great joy that you have returned to me too. What else have you noticed about this place? When I first arrived I was so thirsty I could hardly stand it. How about now? All your words have been feeding my hunger and satisfying my thirst. I feel like I have been drinking deeply from the cool mountain stream over there. That’s a good analogy. My word will refresh your life when you slow down to drink deeply from it. How do you feel right now? I feel like a new person. Do you mean new sheep? Not really, but I understand what you mean. What’s that? I know now how I have wandered away like a lost sheep and like my Good Shepherd you have brought me back to this place of quietness and rest with you. What else have you learned? I’ve learned that I can come and rest in your presence at any time and in any place. How often would you like to do that? I’d be a foolish sheep to not want to be with you every day. Very good, I’m glad to hear you say that.

Lord, forgive me for wandering away from you like a foolish sheep. Thank you for bringing me back to you to a place of quiet rest in your presence where I can drink deeply and be refreshed, revived and restored in my soul by you.  Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Identity – Psalm 23-1-3 – The Lord Is My Shepherd – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

He Restores My Soul

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Transformation - Psalm 23:1-3 - He Restores My Soul - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Transformation – Psalm 23:1-3 – He Restores My Soul – Growing As Disciples

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)

Rest

That is exactly what I need. What’s that? I need rest. I need to respond to your call. I need come to where you want to lead me. Where do I want to lead you? You want to lead me by quiet waters. You want me to come to lie down in green pastures. Why do you suppose I want to lead you by quiet waters? Why do I want to make you to lie down in green pastures? You want to restore my soul. You want to heal my life. You want me to find quietness and peace and rest in you. In you, that is the only place that I will ever find true peace and rest. In you, that is the only place where my soul can find true restoration. That’s true.

You sound like you are speaking from the voice of experience. I am. I can’t tell you how many times I have let my life become frantically busy. I will tell you one thing for certain. What’s that? There is no health and wholeness in living a frantic life. A frantic life is a life filled with anxiety. A frantic life is a bruised and battered and broken life. Why is that? Living a frantic life does not allow for whole and healthy relationships. I will neither love you or others well if my life is dominated by frantic activity. I won’t hear your voice. I won’t know your will or do your work, if I’m not living in an intimate relationship with you. In the busyness and noise of life I life I will race right on by what is valuable and important and meaningful. With such frantic activity, I will misspend my life. At the end of my life I would look back at what could have been. One day, I don’t want to look over my life and wish I would have lived it differently. That’s good.

You will not misspend your life. You will not live a life filled with regret. You will not look back and think about what could have been. Why is that? You do love me. You have heard my call. You have come to me. You are resting in my presence. You are allowing me to restore your soul. You are living in an intimate relationship with me. You are going where I guide you. You are doing what I ask of you. Keep on coming to find your rest in me. Keep on allowing me to restore your soul. Keep on following me. I will meet your needs and help you to walk on my path of righteousness. All of this I will do. I will find all that I need in you. That will be very good.

Lord, nothing sounds more appealing than to lie down in a green pasture with you. Thank you for bringing me to a quiet place of peace and rest. In your presence you restore my soul. Thank you for meeting my needs and guiding me on your path of righteousness. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Transformation – Psalm 23-1-3 – He Restores My Soul – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Rest – Restore

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Rhythms - Psalm 23:1-3 - Rest - Restore - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Rhythms – Psalm 23:1-3 – Rest – Restore – Growing As Disciples

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)

Restoration

Will you come to rest in my presence? Will you set aside a time and a place to meet with me? Will you leave the noise and busyness of your life to be quiet before me? Will you feast on my word? Will you listen to all that I have to say to you? Will you let my word refresh, revive and restore your soul? Will you taste of my goodness, kindness, mercy and love? Will you drink deeply of the life that I have called you to live? Will you allow me to feed your hunger and satisfy your thirst? Yes Lord, I will come to you. Yes, I will set aside a time and a place to meet with you. Yes, I will let you refresh, revive and restore my soul. There is no place I would rather be than in your presence. There is nothing I would rather do than to listen to you. I have been running. I have been busy. I am worn out. My soul is in desperate need of restoration. Here I am right now. I’m quiet. Speak to me, Lord, I’m listening.

I did not make you to run on empty. You are not independent and self-sufficient. You cannot give to others what you do not have for yourself. You need me. I am your Good Shepherd. I have all that you need. You will not want, when you come to rely on me. Come to me, not because you should. Come to me, not because you must. Come to me, because you want and need me. Come to me, because I love you. Come to me, because you love me. Yes Lord, I love you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. You have let me taste of your kindness, mercy and love. You have allowed me to feast on your word. You have fed my hunger and satisfied my thirst. You have met my needs. You have guided my life. You have directed my course. You are molding and shaping my life. You are changing my heart and transforming my mind. You are helping me to know your will. You are helping me to walk in your ways. You are helping me to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. I will walk with you on this path of life that you have laid out for me. That will be very good.

Lord, I have been weary. I have been worn out. I have been bruised and battered and broken. My soul is in need of restoration. Help me to come to rest in green pastures. Lead me by still waters. Restore my soul as I eat and drink of the life you have for me. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Rhythms – Psalm 23-1-3 – Rest – Restore – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional study guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com