Destruction or Deliverance

In a recent Bible study of Psalm 23, my hands found me pulling from my library an old book entitled A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller.

Absorb these words..

“Just as God’s goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life, so goodness and mercy shall follow me…

“…Sheep can, under mismanagement, be the most destructive livestock. They can ruin and ravage land almost beyond remedy. But in bold contrast they can, on the other hand, be the most beneficial of all livestock if properly managed. Their waste is the best balanced of any produced by domestic stock. They can deliver restoration.

When their waste is scattered efficiently over pastures, it proves of enormous benefit to the soil. The sheep’s habit of seeking the highest rise of ground on which to rest insures that the fertility from the rich low land is re-deposited on the less productive higher ground. NO OTHER LIVESTOCK will consume as wide a variety of herbage. Sheep eat all sorts of weeds and other undesirable plants which might otherwise invade a field. For example, they love the buds and tender tips of Canada thistle which, if not controlled, can quickly become a most noxious weed. In a few years a flock of well-managed sheep will clean up and restore a piece of ravaged land as no other creature can do. In ancient literature, sheep were referred to as “those of the golden hooves” – simply because they were regarded and esteemed so highly for their beneficial effect on the land.”

Think about this…

We are called to be sheep. God identifies us as sheep. These are days of great turmoil, confusion, division and destruction. WHAT ARE WE GRAZING ON? What are we LEAVING BEHIND?

In our lives, in our families and for our country….. graze wisely. Choose wisely. In just a few short years, our choices can deliver and restore… OR usher in complete destruction.