"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.....I know My own and My own know Me....My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:11, 14, 27). Shepherding is not familiar to the modern mind.My only observation about sheep came during my youth, when our neighbor had a couple of sheep to graze their pasture.All I remember about those sheep is that when I visited next door, they would drive me crazy by following me all over the place! They were looking for leadership. Sheep aren't very bright, neither are they strong and self-sufficient. God uses these somewhat dumb, weak creatures to tell us something about ourselves and our spiritual need. "We, like sheep, have gone astray" (Isaiah 53:6).

We wander off and err without leadership. We need help and guidance. Sheep are smart enough to realize their need and dependence on a shepherd. Jesus, as the good shepherd, provides the spiritual leadership, guidance and protection we need. The close relationship between the shepherd and his sheep tenderly depicts our spiritual relationship with our Lord. "Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes" (Isaiah 40:11). He has proven His goodness toward us that merits our implicit trust by His sacrificial death to protect us from the predator of our souls, the Devil.

We may think of many things, but the good shepherd thinks of us. As His followers, we are at the center of His concern. We're not a nameless face lost in a sea of faces, but He knows our name. We can find comfort and strength for living in this fact. The good shepherd redeemed us from the clutches of the devil to redirect us. His "voice" calls out to us in the New Testament, "the word of Christ" (Col. 3:16). He call us to a new life, where His sheep may safely graze. He is the entrance of the sheepfold: "If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture... I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:9, 10). He calls us to the greatest quality of life known to man. We rightly read His Word when we turn thoughts into deeds. Therein, we will find satisfaction and peace (cf. Psalm 23). (W. Frank Walton)

Sunday

Bible Study 9:30 a.m.
Worship 10:30 a.m.
Worship 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday

Bible Study 7:30 p.m.

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