HOW ARE YOUR SHEEP?

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Hi all,

Do you remember the nursery rhyme, Mary had a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow; and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. It’s just about unforgettable. It’s probably the first nursery rhyme most of us learned. I’ve got a vague memory of it from Pre-Primary School in Durban.

It’s thought to be an original poem by an American lady, Sarah Josepha Hale on May 24, 1830. Apparently it was inspired by an actual incident.

It’s not difficult to transpose this nursery rhyme into a Christian context. Mary did have a little lamb; the baby Jesus Christ. The Robe of Righteousness of this lamb was a robe of perfection; as white as the driven snow. As a good mother, Mary would have made sure Jesus was close to her at all times until he was weaned and went from a baby to a child.  Jesus grew up and is now the Great Shepherd. His sheep follow Him; those who don’t can get lost, or be eaten by ravenous wolves. As Christians we must follow Mary’s lamb – the Lamb of God.

Today’s meditation concerns being a sheep and a shepherd.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 23 April 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	HOW ARE YOUR SHEEP?
Isaiah warned us that we are like a flock of sheep who have wandered off and are lost. I first read this with mixed feelings. To liken us to sheep is hardly complimentary. To me, a lion or a bear seems much more appropriate. In the world of flying things I felt we would be best described as an eagle. But after reflecting on this for a while, the truth dawned on me. We really are like a flock of sheep. We are oblivious of any danger and with a willingness to wander and get lost! Isaiah was “right on”. Later, when I found that David shared Isaiah’s opinion, it was confirmed. The clincher was Jesus. “My sheep hear My voice” He stated. I really couldn’t quibble any longer.  “Baaah” was my response. Looking back over my own life, the truth of the statement becomes abundantly clear. Christians, in general and me in particular, consistently pursue our own agenda and tell others, “The Lord said!” The fact that He has had to rescue me from blind alleys and deliberate disobedience, more often than I care to admit, is a fact of life. I suppose my “sheep-life” embarrasses me. Today, I’m rather glad the Lord called us sheep. People talk of a “dumb ox” or a “stupid sheep”. He knows all about my life and my willingness to do my own thing. In a glorious way, it seems He expects it. I don’t like speaking about the Lord’s expectations. To me when you are omniscient, as He is, He knows what we are going to do. It’s not a matter of expectations. If I know for an absolute fact that something is going to happen on Saturday, it’s not an expectation. It’s foreknowledge. What is particularly beautiful to me is that I am His sheep and He is my Shepherd. Phyllida and I are constantly doing our very best to hear His voice. With both of us listening, these days we “miss it” less than we used to. It’s comforting to know that His sheep hear His voice. It’s even more comforting, that His little lambs are still learning to hear His voice. Indeed, they plod along after the rest of the flock, learning to attune their ears to the voice of the Shepherd. One of the wonderful things about being a sheep is that it’s the sheep that produce the lambs! The shepherd is not responsible for reproduction within His flock. That’s the sheep’s responsibility. It’s your job and mine to bring new sheep into the flock. Sure, He will help. But the responsibility is yours and mine. The other thing that thrills me about being a sheep is that I can trust my Shepherd. He will never leave me nor desert me! Jim and Phyllida Strickland			6 We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And GOD has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him. Isaiah 53:6 MSG 8 If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. 9 On the other hand, if we admit our sins--make a clean breast of them--he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. 1 John 1:8-9 MSG 10 As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous--not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one." Romans 3:10-12 NLT 25 You were like lost sheep. Now you have come back to the shepherd and bishop of your lives. 1 Peter 2:25 GW 176 I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands. Psalms 119:176 NIV 3 He renews my soul. He guides me along the paths of righteousness for the sake of his name. Psalms 23:3 GW 27 "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never die. No one can steal them out of my hand. John 10:27-28 NIrV 4 He said, "Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Won't he leave the 99 in the open country? Won't he go and look for the one lost sheep until he finds it? Luke 15:4 NIrV	Of all the animals to choose, the sheep is not the best. The Lord says we are like them. A curse, or are we blessed? It hard to understand it. Sheep are not very clever. Do they think of the future? The answer’s surely “never”. They seldom think of anything. They wander where they choose. And when the predator appears, they just ignore the news. They keep on nibbling the grass. It seems they do not care, That something is pursuing them. They’re surely not aware, Of the impending danger. They simply chew and chew. Even if a lion, or bear comes into view, It doesn’t seem to bother them; then one gets an alarm! They think if they are scattering, they’ll keep away from harm! They have no self-protection. They have no teeth at all. Except a set of grinders, that seems to be too small. They do not have a set of horns, except perhaps the rams. And they don’t have a system of caring for the lambs. They stand in line awaiting the flashing butcher’s knife. They clearly do not understand the threat upon their life. They seem to want to give themselves and offer up their throat. So when it comes to “stupid” they surely get my vote. This isn’t complimentary and Jesus says that we, Are like these foolish creatures. Could it be you or me? Well let’s just think about it; does it describe us well? I think perhaps it really does, as best as I can tell. How often are we listening to hear the Master’s voice? And when it comes to feeding, do we display a choice? We still insist on going where we have always been; And seldom seem to bother if the pasture’s good and clean! And what about the water? What do we think today? Do we resist the Holy Ghost and turn ourselves away, From looking at the Word of God to check out what’s the truth? Are we growing spiritually, or are we still a youth? Are we standing in a line, listening to men, Queuing up for slaughter in some false prophets den? Do we know our Shepherd and hear the things He says? Or listening to a charlatan and following his ways? What is our condition? Bleeding, ripped and torn? What about the little lambs who’ve only just been born? Are we in a program? Do our leaders care, If we are attending or wandered off elsewhere? Do you have a ministry; is it being used? Are you being helpful or feeling you’re abused? Are you contributing in the place you meet each week? Or just another visitor who’s not allowed to speak? Are you now a shepherd without a flock to lead? Then now’s the time to find them and help each one to feed. Jim Strickland Written 23rd April 2012