"I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep, and they know me just as my Father knows me and I know my Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep." 

John 10:14-15(NIV)

Two men were called on, in a large classroom, to recite the Twenty-third Psalm. One was a published orator trained in speech technique and drama. He repeated the psalm in a powerful way. When he finished, the audience cheered and even asked for an encore that they might hear his wonderful voice again.

Then the other man, who was much older, repeated the same words--'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...' But when he finished, no sound came from the large class. Instead, people sat in a deep mood of devotion and prayer.

Then the first man, the orator, stood to his feet. 'I have a confession to make,' he said. 'The difference between what you have just heard from my old friend, and what you heard from me is this: I know the Psalm, my friend knows the Shepherd."

When we truly know the shepherd, not just the Psalm, we will find that in everything we have a Savior that loves us unconditionally.  He loves us so much that he lay down his life that we might be saved and live eternally in His presence.

Jesus the good shepherd's purpose is to give life and protect from destruction. You may be asking yourself why Jesus needed to give His life for our protection. We all have sinned! By our sin, we are lost to the eternal life God has for us. We will not enter heaven if we don't accept Jesus the good shepherd. Jesus' blood was shed as payment for our sins. But He was resurrected; He lives as our shepherd today!

When we accept this gift, when we believe that He did this for us, we are saved from paying the debt ourselves. Romans 6:23 says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."  

How is it with you today?  Do you know the Psalm or the Shepherd?