There is hardly anyone who has never heard or read Psalms 23. It is the Psalm we continuously run to or pull on when we are in fear, lack, confusion, or illness. It is that Psalm that stands like an arch over our lives. It is the first Psalm we teach our babies when they start to speak. What is it about this Psalm that compels us to call upon it in that time of trouble? What is so compelling about this Psalm is that we not only want to read it but to also know it by heart. It is the first Psalm that we learn by head and heart. This is a powerful Psalm that reveals to us the true relationship between us the believer and our Savior, the church comprising the Head (Jesus Christ) and His Body (the believers).

It is so important that as we remember the birth of Jesus Christ and we go through life in our preparation for this season we set aside time to celebrate His birth, that we remember that Jesus is our Shepherd. He is our protector, our shelter, our guide, and our provider. He will cover us and shelter us through whatever storm we may encounter. Even as we remember and celebrate His birth let us remember foremost that this was the birth of our Shepherd and even though He has ascended into His Heavenly place and glory, He remains our Shepherd at the right hand of the Father. He is interceding for us, defending us before the Father, and strengthening us when we feel spent in what we do. He is lifting up our heads when we feel cast down, being our bright and morning star, putting that light in our eyes, spring in our steps, and comforting us along the way that everything is going to be all right, as sore as it is, because He remains our Shepherd and is right alongside us carrying us through it all.

We encourage you during this season to hold fast to your Sheperd for He will help you to grow in those areas of your life where you are weak and challenged. whether it's with your job or business, home and marriage, finances, your personality, and the way you respond to adverse situations and attacks. Whatever and wherever you are in Christ right now, Jesus the Good Shepherd can and will help you to grow spiritually so that you can be like Him. When He asked us to be holy as He is holy, it was because He knew we couldn’t do it and be it, all by ourselves.  He has assigned Himself that job to teach and nurture us into that holy walk and wants us to rely on Him, look to Him for the know-how and the wisdom in how to walk and live holy. Some say we cannot be holy in this corrupted world, but I beg to disagree. You see the holiness Christ our Shepherd expects of us is not His holiness because He is God and none can be holy as God, but there is a level and standard of holiness he expects of us frail humanity, and which He offers to impute in us because we can be holy only through Him. We cannot wash ourselves clean enough to be holy as He desires of us. This means that we have to hold fast to our Shepherd as the sheep does.

We cannot grow spiritually outside of Christ because we were all born in sin and shaped in iniquity but through our salvation, we have become new persons in Christ our Shepherd, and He has now become the Shepherd to guide us in this newness of life. He who is holy and righteous knows the ins and outs of being faithful and true to the Heavenly Father because He was faithful and true in doing the will of the Father when  He left the splendor of heaven and came and died being that ultimate sacrifice for us. He will not leave us in the struggle to be right before our Heavenly Father. When we are going through pain and suffering that we do not want to go through but have to, He the Good Shepherd will be there to take us through it because He knows firsthand what it feels like.

Jesus was preparing to go to the cross, He knew the depth of the suffering He must go through and so he went aside to talk to the Father about it and He said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death:”… and on his face, he prayed “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” This Shepherd knows what it feels like to go through devastating agony but stayed focused on the big picture, focused on the call on His life and He is qualified to guide us through every pain and challenge we may be facing right now that we don’t want to be a part of. We can grow spiritually only as we cling to Jesus our Shepherd.

We must know who He is so that we may follow Him blindly, effortlessly and uncompromisingly as a sheep does. They do not engage their own ideas and sense of importance without the counsel and guidance of the Shepherd. If the shepherd raises his staff and points in a direction, the sheep never stops and questions, ‘Are you sure?’ or ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ They sheepishly run in the direction given to them trustingly knowing that He knows what he is doing and he is looking out for their good.

I’m reminded of the apostle Peter, a fisherman by profession, after toiling all night and catching no fish, was washing his net when Jesus came along and told him to cast his net into the deep. He was probably discouraged at the moment with no catch to take to market, but he obediently responded, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word, I will let down the net” (Luke 5:4-7). That NEVERTHELESS did the work. That nevertheless, he threw out all his experience and knowledge of fishing and replaced them with the directive from Jesus. The sheep are confident in their shepherd’s ability to provide for them, and protect them from the wolves and bears, even when they aimlessly fall into a pit, they are confident that he will search and find them and get them out of their predicament. This is the confidence we as believers and the flock of Jesus Christ must have in our Good Shepherd.

In this season I encourage us to be greater followers of Jesus, our Shepherd. Let us seek a deeper walk with Him even as we celebrate with family and friends. Let those around us see what the true meaning of Christmas is. It is about the celebration of the birth of our Shepherd, their Shepherd who is with us and in us.

Blessings!