Daily Devotionals

John Gossner's Treasury

Devotional: April 22nd

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalms 23:1-4. Doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go after that which Is lost? Luke 15:4.

If Jesus be your Shepherd, you must be His sheep. You must ’’walk in the green pastures" to which He leads you. His Word must be sweeter to you than honey and the honeycomb. You must remain in His flock and shun the goats of the wicked world. The green pastures that belong to this Shepherd are His Word in the Bible; the precious pastures of His sheep are the communings with Him in the spirit. There also flow "the still waters" from which He gives His sheep to drink, the like of which is not found on earth (John 7:38). But the sheep must follow their Shepherd, if He is to lead them to these waters. The sheep must willingly feed in His green pastures, remain in Him, and commune with Him in child-like confidence. As soon as they leave Him and seek other pastures and other waters, they lose the taste for His pastures and His waters, stray from the flock and perish. But He cannot let the lost perish forever. He goes after them. He follows after them in all their foolish ways, and does not only readily take them up when He finds them, but carries them as a mother carries her child, upon His shoulders. He rejoices as though He had found a great treasure. If they remain with Him, they lack no good thing. For the Shepherd is exceedingly rich, and as charitable and benevolent as He is rich. He desires that His sheep shall have all that He Himself possesses. He often leads them on dark and uneven roads, yet these are right roads that lead to the fold. Even though they pass through ’’the valley of the shadow of death," yet His shepherds staff is their consolation and support, upon which they lean without fear. His rod and His staff are terrible to death and hell, but they are the standards of victory for His sheep. With it they put death and the devil to rout. The wolves flee when you grasp His rod and His ’’staff. " You who are a sheep of Christ, do you know this "rod" and this "staff"? Do you know the rod and the staff of your crucified Shepherd? It is beautiful, it is glorious, stained with His blood. For the Shepherd died upon it for His sheep for you.

He leads me to the place

Where heavenly pasture grows;

Where living waters gently pass,

And full salvation flows.

While He affords His aid,

I cannot yield to fear;

Though I should walk through death’s dark shade.

My Shepherd’s with me there.