LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

I have a good friend in North Dakota who tried to raise sheep for a while. They were kept on a farm thirty minutes from his house. He grew to hate his decision as much as he hated the sheep. No matter how well he installed and repaired fences, they always managed to escape. He spent far too much time chasing sheep. The only way to ensure that sheep don’t wander is for them to be managed by a shepherd who is always watching.

Sheep could not survive without a shepherd. The wolves and coyotes would get them. Thieves would steal them.  Prone to wander, they would soon be lost and even more susceptible to danger.

The Bible says, “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). Man is like sheep. We wander around blind; we get lost. We’re lost from God. We’ve strayed from God.

Jesus says in John 10:14, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

The duties of a shepherd are many. They live with their sheep. They must find good places for the sheep to eat. They must look for sheep that have wandered. They must protect the sheep from danger.

Jesus is the Shepherd of our souls in the same way. The twenty-third Psalm says it this way:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

When we come to Him for salvation, He lives in us. He is constantly directing us to nourishing food from His Word. He protects us from the dangers of sin and false teaching that would lead us astray. And when we do stray, because we will, He searches for us until He can restore us to His fellowship.

But Jesus does one more thing for His sheep. He gives His life for us. He came to earth on a mission to rescue us. His rescue could only be accomplished if the ultimate enemy of life was destroyed – death. He died so that we might live.

Are you a lost sheep? Jesus Christ died on the cross for you. He loves you and He’s searching for you. He will be your permanent shepherd if you repent of your wandering ways and trust Him to rescue you from sin. Why not do that today?

Pastor John