My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. —
John 10:27-28
Sheep are simple creatures surrounded by a very harsh world. In the days of Jesus, the sheep had predators such as wolves, bears and lions. In addition, there were thieves and robbers who came into the sheepfold to steal, kill or destroy the sheep. The sheep also had to contend with all kinds of life-threatening diseases.John 10:27-28
The thieves had a method for stealing the sheep. They tried to trick the sheep by imitating the voice of the shepherd. Any sheep that couldn’t distinguish between the voice of a thief and the shepherd would be less away from the shepherd and end up stolen.
Jesus used this analogy of the sheep and the shepherd to teach us about the kind of relationship that must exist between us and Himself. He is the shepherd; we are the sheep. As the sheep is threatened by so many enemies, we also have enemies who want to snatch us from the hand of the Shepherd, afflict us with diseases and destroy us.
How do we survive?
• Know the voice of the Lord
• Follow the Lord obediently
• Trust in the Lord’s protection
The Lord speaks to us daily through the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and through the teaching and preaching of His word. At least one time in every sermon, the Lord breaks through the words of the preacher and speaks directly to us. It may be in a single sentence or in just one phrase. It is vital we hear and follow the voice of the Lord.
Prayer:
Teach me to hear and follow Your voice, O Lord. May I never follow the voice of the enemy.Scriptural Reading:
John 10:22-30
#YearOfWisdom
