What does it mean to you that Jesus said, "You can know the truth and the truth will set you free:? Do you have freedom? Is it freedom from... or freedom for?

There is a serious threat of being separated from God. There is also a remedy for being separated. Jesus said, "If I be lifted up" Are you willing to put your trust in that possibility?

Jesus ties his identity to two very important ceremonies during the Feast of the Booths / Tabernacles with his statements "I am the living water" and "I am the light of the world."

Jesus is the fulfillment of the combination of light and living waters that was prophesied by Zechariah (14:4-9).

We are called to speak the truth. However, we are called to speak the truth in love. John 7:53-8:11 tells of attempt to trap Jesus in terms of how he would respond to a woman caught in the act of adultery. But it was a trap -- no man was brought. Jesus's response can be understood in terms of three words: condone, condemn, and confront. We are called to confront in a loving way.

Ps. 122 says, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord." Do you rejoice in being in the presence of God? The 23rd Psalm concludes, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." It is believed that because of the relationship with the Shepherd "...goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Is that your desire?

What does it mean to you that God has prepared a table for you and anointed you? Because you have been served, are you motivated to serve?

What is the key to living a life without lack? Three things are important - faith, death to self, and agape love. Dallas Willard says that these three form a "triangle of sufficiency" in our lives. The key, however, is faith -- but not as an intellectual concept. Biblical faith involves trust and loyalty. Are you trusting God so that, like the Psalmist, you can say "I will fear no evil"?

Is it possible to not fear evil? Can we truly walk 'through the valley of the shadow of death' without being afraid? We can if we know the Shepherd and are protected by remaining in his presence with the rod and staff present.

Dallas Willard describes Psalm 23 as follows - “The Shepherd Psalm is a reminder of God’s care, protection, and provision for his children; the preciousness of his creatures” (Life Without Lack). He goes on to point out that it is one thing to understand how our Shepherd is capable of providing for all our needs; of course such an all-powerful, self-sufficient being can take care of us. So, why are we here.

What do you mean when you say, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." In what way do you know God? Is this just a mental concept, or is it a belief that changes your lifestyle? Our mind does matter - not just our brain, but our mind! Proverbs says that "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."