The Good Shepherd

 "I am the GOOD SHEPHERD." John 10:11

God calls His people sheep over 200 times in the Bible. It's not exactly a compliment because sheep can be pretty dumb animals. That's their outstanding characteristic They can't see very well. They are near sighted--myopic! They are defenseless, they can't bark or scratch. And they are also dirty animals. They are not like cats that clean themselves up all the time. They can go through months gathering up the dirt and dust in their surroundings, until they can even have maggots crawling on them!

And that's why we need a shepherd. A good one! A shepherd who will lead us, to help us navigate through life! A shepherd to give us a vision, a dream, to keep us from just focusing on ourselves. A shepherd to clean us of our filth and dirt. A shepherd to defend us, to fight our battles for us!

“The sheep follow Him, because they recognize His voice." John 10:4

The good thing about sheep is they recognize the shepherd's voice. When he calls out, they come, even if they can't see very well. If someone else calls, they won't come!

“Master to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life." John 6:69

Do we recognize our Shepherd's voice?

Indeed, like sheep, we should follow and obey our Shepherd! But first, we have to learn to recognize His voice!