MyLeslieNotebook

David, the author of Psalm 23, takes a new path in his writing in verse 5. In the first four verses, David has made the point that he is a sheep, God is the shepherd, and a sheep needs its shepherd for EVERYTHING. But God is not only a shepherd.  He is also a king. Granted, the shepherd analogy is a good one to help us understand God. He is always with us, He loves us and protects us, He provides for us, and He is the source of all wisdom, blessing, and success. But if we picture God as a shepherd only, we miss so much of who He is.  He always was and always will be. He created every single thing that exists, from the tiniest part of a cell to the most elaborate of stars in a galaxy so far away we'll never know they exist. He supports everything that has life and decides its time to die. He knows every single thing  that goes on in the life of every single creature . He spins the planets, fills the oceans, and tells the clouds when to appear. He made each organi...

"Your rod and your staff, they comfort me," (NASB, Psalm 23:4) "Your rod and your staff, they protect me," (CEB) "Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me," (AMP) It's funny what brings comfort to a sheep. But before I get into the rod and the staff, let me tell you what doesn't  bring comfort to a sheep: independence. Sheep FREAK OUT when they feel alone. Total panic. And they feed off the panic of others. They are dead in the water  without a shepherd and they know it. And as much as you long for independence right now, let me assure you: you do not want independence from your Shepherd . You were created  to depend on Him. You cannot make it without Him. You will FREAK OUT in this world without the love, protection, and comfort of your Shepherd. He is the only one who has overcome this world (John 16:33) and He is the only one who can always be with you (Matthew 28:20). So as you walk down the path toward inde...

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me," (Psalm 23:4, ESV) "Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for you are with me," (Psalm 23:4, AMP) "I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won't be afraid," (Psalm 23:4, CEV) It's one thing to admit you're a sheep in need of a shepherd, knowing He is nourishing you, quenching your thirst, and leading you on the righteous path. But what if the right path (Psalm 23:3, CEV) is as dark and as scary and as horrible as death itself?  Would a loving shepherd take His sheep on that path? Yep.  To some of you, this is a shock. You think, How could a good God lead someone on such a terrible path through life?   I don't know. But He does: Abraham was asked to leave his father, his homeland, and everything he knew and travel hundreds of miles to go...

So after I finished the last post about the paths of righteousness, I realized I had SO MANY MORE scriptures in my notes that I didn't use. And I still felt inadequate in my description of righteousness. So today I'm just going to give you those scriptures, praying you understand God's definition of righteousness and ask Him to show you how to stay on the path of righteousness (Psalm 23:3). (If you didn't read the post on the Paths of Righteousness, you can here .) [All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted. Anything in italics is my own commentary or thoughts on the scriptures.] "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled,"  (Matthew 5:6). Once you really  know what righteousness is, you are thirsty for it. You realize you're parched and can't go on without righteousness. "The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him," (Proverbs 20:7). "Blameless...

I've avoided today's passage for as long as I could.  (Okay so "avoided" is the wrong word. I sat down to write this 10 times, but couldn't find the words or peace at what I wrote. So I've waited on the Holy Spirit to fill me and speak clearly through me.) I've wanted to make sure I had the right heart when I wrote about today's verse. No judgment. No implied guilt. Just a straight-up teaching of God's Word. So I come to you with a humbled heart, confessed soul, and many weeks of deep Scripture study over what seems to be the shortest phrase in Psalm 23: "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake," (verse 3b, NKJV). Or like this: "He leads me in paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake," (AMP). And this one helps me really get what it's saying: "He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake,...

(If you haven't read Psalm 23 Part 1 yet, you can here .) Here's the next idea presented in Psalm 23 (verses 2-3a): "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul," (NKJV).  (Or you may like this one:) "He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life (my self)," (AMP.) Now keep in mind what we already know about sheep: fearful. panicky. defenseless. But luckily we have a Shepherd who keeps us calm.  How? He makes us lie down . Some translations say "He lets me lie down." So, first of all, He knows we need rest. Wait. Stop. Did you hear that? YOU NEED REST . Now, I'm not talking about sleep . (Granted, you're college girls; you DO  need sleep. But that's not the point here.) I'm talking about rest.  When you're able to look around at your life, your habitat, your environm...