Daily Inspiration

Daily Inspirational Thoughts

to bless your life.

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A Daily Devotional

Monday through Friday

by Beth McLendon

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The topic this week is:

Inspiration from Psalm 23

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The entries this week are taken
from excerpts
from the following page:

Psalm 23

Monday

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

verse 1

Hearing those words comforts us.

That phrase begins

the most well-known Psalm in the Bible.

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The 23rd Psalm is the most beloved Psalm in the Bible.

This Psalm of David begins with the words:

"The Lord is MY SHEPHERD."

David is giving a declaration

describing his relationship to the Lord.

In other words, David is saying that he has chosen God  to be his leader and the Lord of his life. 

He is saying that he is dedicated to trying to obey God. He is saying that he wants to please God with his actions and words.

The promise of "not wanting" is for those who have made God their shepherd. This conditional promise is implied.

Moreover, the promise is not automatic. You just don't make God your Shepherd and everything falls into place.

If we want a promise of God to manifest in our life, we sometimes need to "stand" on that promise.

Standing on the Promises of God

God intends for us to "speak out" scripture. He intends us to speak "out loud" scripture in order to change things in our life.

When you actually "speak out" scripture and pray to the Lord for your needs, you are showing that you have faith - at least some faith in God and in his word. You might not have magnificent faith, but..... if you take the time to speak out scripture, it shows you have at least some faith that speaking out God's Word is worthwhile. You are showing respect for the Bible and for God.

Tuesday

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

This verse gives us the picture of

resting in a good place.

When we have made God our Shepherd, we can learn to rest in him.

In Psalm 23, the words "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures" create a picture of allowing ourselves to rest, because we realize that we have a close relationship with the one who is all knowing, all powerful, and who is present everywhere.

Psalm 23 not only gives us a picture of rest - but rest in a green pasture.

That gives us the idea of resting with good provision.

Wednesday

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

Many people want to find the still waters of life,

but they do not want to follow the path

God is attempting to guide them toward.

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God will lead us toward still waters

if we follow him.

I've toyed with writing a book or at least an article with the title:

When God says turn right, and I want to turn wrong.

We all sometimes resist the path God is leading up toward. Too many people continually ignore God while he is attempting to direct them and guide them.

Still waters has the idea of calmness, rest, and peace attached to it.

The peace of God includes the idea

of obedience to God.

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If we are following God,

he will lead us to places of peace.

Isaiah 48:18 NKJV 
"Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea."

Thursday

He restoreth my soul.

Our soul consists of our mind, our will, and our emotions.

The word "restore" gives us the picture of renewing or bringing back.

God restoring our soul is a beautiful picture.

Yet, I like to remind myself that God not only renews and brings back, but he can even make something better than it ever was.

So this verse is filled with great promise for us.

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You.

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

To read more about how God restores and
transforms our mind, will, and emotions,

see the full Psalm 23 page.

In Conclusion

God restores our soul:

God wants his beloved children to be
well fed, calm,
and content in his presence.

Friday

He leadeth me along the paths of righteousness

for his name sake.

God will always lead us toward righteousness.

God's path is sometimes difficult,
but one thing is for certain:
it always leads toward righteousness.

If you are following God, you will change your behavior.

If you are following God, you become more righteous and look more and more like Jesus.

If you are not becoming more and more righteous in your life, then you are not following God.

A silly but effective illustration

If I duct-taped you to the back of a person,

you would go everywhere that person went.

We need to be spiritually duct-taped to God.

Many people say they are following God,

but

they are only fooling themselves.

___

 "We can always prove we are right,

but is the Lord convinced?"

Proverbs 16:2 TLB

God knows exactly how obedient we are.

We do not fool him with our excuses.

We do not fool him with sweet talk during prayer.

John

John was one of the 12 disciples.

He was the best friend of Jesus.

John shares some very straight talk with us

in the book of First John.

1 John 2:4 says:

Someone may say,
"I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven;
I belong to Christ."
But if he doesn't do what Christ tells him to, he is a liar.

1 John 2:5-6 says:

But those who do what Christ tells them to
will learn to love God more and more.
That is the way to know whether or not
you are a Christian.
Anyone who says he is a Christian
should live as Christ did.

- - -

Jesus said,

If you love me, you will obey me.

John 14:23

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I encourage you to consider going to our complete

Psalm 23 page

and reading and pondering it.

Also consider our Explaining Salvation page.

Beautiful Psalm 23 Videos

Psalm 23

presented with

Sign language

Psalm 23

set to

Music

Psalm 23:

A little child will lead them.

Consider teaching Psalm 23 to your little one.

I would suggest you do it from the King James Version because most people know it in that version. Sometimes even old television shows speak out the 23rd Psalm in the King James Version.

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Consider using this Psalm 23 page as a springboard for a

family devotional

or a

Sunday school class.

April 13, 2015 - originally