Jesus, our Shepherd, showers us with goodness and mercy. He gives us an eternal home in glory. This is made possible by the fact that He went through the valley of the shadow of death for us. He went to the cross and took on death in our place. Thanks be to God, He conquered death. He was victorious. Since Jesus rose from the grave, He has given us a resurrected life. Look at Ephesians 2:1-10. We were once dead in our sin. Separated from God because of sin. Yet, He has made us alive. He has raised us up just as Jesus was raised. We share in His resurrection and now we have a home with Jesus in Heaven. In our text in Psalm 23:6, we see three things that the resurrected life brings.

The resurrected life brings goodness. Since I am resurrected with Christ, I am granted the goodness of God. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Think about it. Everything that we can call good comes from God. When we believe on the Lord Jesus and we are raised from the death that sin brings and given a new life; we are overwhelmed with the goodness of God. Oh, there are good things in this life that all enjoy. However, those things become even more good in light of the resurrection. Think about the laughter of children, the warmth of the spring sun, the flowers that bloom, the birds singing, the wind whistling through the trees; all of these things are gifts from God. Living the resurrected life makes us more aware of God’s goodness. When we are focused on ourselves and our worldly tendencies we do not see clearly. The laughter of children is not as enjoyable and the sun is not as warm. But, when we focus on living the resurrected life, our eyes are open and everything is a thousand times better.

The resurrected life brings mercy. Since Jesus rose from the grave and we partake in His resurrection by receiving Him as our Savior, we are given the mercy of God. Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve. We deserve judgment. We deserve condemnation. We deserve God’s wrath. We deserve death. But, God in His great love toward us gives mercy to all who believe on Jesus. Living the resurrected life keeps us from experiencing the consequence of sin that we deserve. God’s mercy keeps us from going too far. God’s mercy keeps our salvation secure. By God’s mercy, we are saved from ourselves.

The resurrected life brings us home. The Psalmist said that he will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” We are not just guests in God’s house, we are permanent citizens. Look at John 14:1-6. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. There is a place in Heaven for every single person that has ever lived. My friend, there is no place like home. Heaven is home. The resurrected life; believing on the Lord Jesus, brings us home.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” How is this possible? Because Jesus is my Shepherd.