Waling in the abundant life requires us to have the Lord as our shepherd. He is a good shepherd – He knows what is best for us and desires only the best for our lives. If He is our shepherd, that means we are in submission to Him, not doing whatever we want. This means that we follow His Word, not following anyone or anything that runs contrary to it.
Following the Lord as a shepherd means that we shall not want – the Lord will provide for us. He will lead us into places of peace, the green pastures and the still waters. When we walk through places of darkness, God will lead us. He will continue to show us the light, even in the darkest places. The Lord will make provision for us even in the presence of our enemies – He prepares a table for us. He causes our cups to run over – we will have abundance in whatever the Father gives us. When we are submitted to the Lord as our shepherd, goodness and mercy will follow and overtake us. We won’t have to chase after these things – they will come to us.
Submitting to the Lord as shepherd is not a complicated, deeply religious thing. It is a matter of walking by the Spirit, not the flesh. When we are first born again, we receive the Spirit but we are not expected to yet have the maturity to walk according to Him. However, as we mature in Christ, the expectation is that we will walk according to the Spirit as we grow up.
Unfortunately, many of us walk the same way as the world does. We walk according to our own thoughts, feelings and opinions. As a result, we don’t live the abundant life, and don’t look any different than those who are unsaved. Our needs get met out of the natural worldly system and we have the same fears and anxieties as the rest of the world. This in turn brings us into bondage under the person who is responsible for signing our paycheck. That is not God’s will for our lives – He desires us to submit willingly to Him as a shepherd, not to be brought into bondage to the world.
While John the Baptist was in prison, he asked if Jesus was really the Christ or if he should be looking for someone else. We need to understand that Jesus is the Christ and not look for someone else, or remake a Christ in our own image. God desires us to live in the Spirit while on earth in order to prepare us for eternity with Him.
Key Scriptures: Psalm 23, Philippians 4:19, Romans 8:14,16
