“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”- John 10:27
Read these words again…a second time. I hope you find these words of Jesus comforting. He begins, “My sheep…” so if at any time you are wondering about your identity and/or your purpose, remember who it is that you belong to…and while sheep are perhaps a most dim witted creature…Jesus says that we are His sheep…no one else’s and he loves us beyond human measure. We are the sheep in His pasture and He is a Shepherd, for when we are in Christ, Christ lives in us…so… we are His…period!
But while we may be dim-witted as sheep we do like sheep hear His voice, the voice of our Shepherd. As we are in His word, participating in worship and the sacraments …we will “hear” His voice…we will know what He is saying…we will know what it is that He wants…and when we hear…the Greek word also implies that we will do as He says, which is to follow the path He has laid out for us as we follow Him.
Next He says, not only are we His sheep, but he says, “I know them…”We are “known”. Many live a life of quiet desperation because we think no one knows us, we really want to be known …be understood for who we are. Most people are lonely, lonely and bored even with all the social media and games we have we have little to no personal relationship. But… when we are in Christ…the KING and CREATOR of the Universe “knows” us…intimately… knows us and loves us… “His steadfast love endures forever”.
And lastly, with the first 2 things being true He says, “…and they follow me.” In the East, Shepherd’s don’t push their sheep as occurs here in the West…they lead their sheep. Their sheep know their voice and they follow him. Knowing His voice which they trust him to guide, protect, feed and enable them to rest secure in a pasture. Even, if another raises up and tries to lead them, the sheep will not follow because they don’t know his voice…they don’t “know” him! Sheep will only follow the one voice that they know…that “knows” them…that is the one they alone hear…for these are the sheep of His flock alone. Remember, for all who are His, “The Lord is our shepherd, I(we) shall not want.” Because Jesus is true to His Words…“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
The questions for us today are these. Are we following Him? Or… Are we seeking to blaze our own path and wondering why God is not blessing?
God bless y’all today.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
