Now, we move to the second half of Psalm 23:2, where Jesus Christ [the Good Shepherd] “leads me beside quiet waters.” It should be noted that sheep have no swimming capabilities, so a fall into the water is a death sentence unless they’re rescued. Hence the need for still waters.
Fortunately, our
Good Shepherd knows where the still, quiet, deep, clean, pure water is to be
found that can satisfy His sheep and keep them fit.
Click here for more about the second half of Psalm 23:2 from Philip Keller, Robert Morgan, and Max Lucado
National Good Samaritan Day—observed on March
13—is a day for unselfish actions to help those in need and to celebrate
kindness.
The term “Good Samaritan” comes from Luke 10
in the Bible, where Jesus Christ shares a parable of the Samaritan, who helped
a stranger who had been robbed and beaten and left to die by the side of the
road. This was a shocking twist for the Jewish
audience, who would have expected the Priest or Levite to render aid. However, they were too busy. The Samaritan, who was considered impure from
the Jewish perspective, not only cleaned the man’s wounds and clothed him, but
took him to an inn where he paid for the man’s care.
The “Good Samaritan” term is used today to describe those who perform acts of kindness for those in need, especially those who are strangers.
Pastor Reggie McNeal points out that the moral
of the story is “you have to get off your donkey to help somebody.” In fact, he wrote a book with that focus, Get
Off Your Donkey! Help Somebody and Help Yourself, as a call to
action. Maybe you can’t change the
world, but you can change your street.
The
best strategy for experiencing the abundant life that Jesus talked about is
through loving our neighbors. We all have to get off our donkeys. Nothing less than the fate of America, your
community, your neighbor—even you—depends on it!
Click here for a summary of Reggie McNeal’s Get Off Your Donkey!
