Tuesday, December 3, 2024
I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. John 10:14-16 CSB
The Good Shepherd - Do You Know Him?
It is no mistake that Jesus compares us to sheep in the Bible. We are sheep that have lost our way before, and we will continue to lose our way every time we move away from our Good Shepherd. Thankfully we have a Good Shepherd that will bring us back into the fold every time.
Shepherds have a very important job. Sheep are completely defenseless in the face of an attack. They have no sharp teeth or claws, and they certainly cannot outrun a predator, so when a wolf comes after them, they are going to lose. They are totally dependent on the shepherd to protect and lead them. He watches for danger and uses the crook of his staff to pull them back into the fold when they start to wander outside the bounds of protection. The sheep know their shepherd, and they will listen to the shepherd and follow where the shepherd leads. Shepherds may even give up their lives to protect the flock.
In the scripture above Jesus says that He is the Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep. We listen for His voice and follow Him. He will lead us, guide us, protect us, and He has laid down His life for us. He had all the power in the world to save us, without giving His life, but He did not choose to save Himself. His willing sacrifice of His own life for His sheep, made it possible for everyone who chooses to come, to have salvation. He identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd as He laid down His life for us.
Like sheep without a shepherd, we will walk right into trouble. We need the gentle voice of our Good Shepherd to call to us, lead us and guide us. We need the loving tug of His staff to pull us back to Him, to safety where we belong. We need His love, grace, mercy, and protection.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and it is His desire to give us all good things, to take care of us, to give us comfort, peace, meet our needs, and to protect us. The things we think we want are sometimes not good for us. The good things that the shepherd gives are the right things for us. His word tells us not to worry about our needs - our basic provisions of what we will eat, wear, etc. He has it all under control. We just have to follow Him. The shepherd always guides the sheep, and our Shepherd is no different. He leads us, and when we stray, He will come for us like any good shepherd would. There is no place we can go that He won’t come after us. And no matter how big the flock is, He cares about every single one of us.
How can we hear his voice? Because we belong to him - I know my own, and my own know me… When we are in a relationship with Jesus we will know his voice, just as we know the voice of our friends and family. Our relationship with Jesus should be even more intimate than those relationships. When we seek him, learn from him, walk with him, spend time talking to him, as well as listening for him, we will hear his voice when he calls for us. Are you listening for his voice today?