What a good Shepherd we have in Christ. Our Guardian, who laid down His life to free us from the bondage of death and fear. Carer of our souls, who leads us beside quiet waters to rest.

The wanderer, the wild, the lost, the sick, the languishing, all are welcome to His house–if we would hold fast to this confidence and take pride in our hope (Ref. Hebrew 3:6). He died once and for all, so we could live once and for all.

– Teny Sarah

No one really likes to be compared to a sheep, because it means we’re mindlessly following others. However, we can be quite sheep-like in the way we live. 

We’re shortsighted creatures focused only on whatever’s happening in front of us (our never-ending to-do list, the phones permanently glued to our hands). We’re so caught up in the day-to-day that we lose track of where our lives are headed in the long run. We look at those next to us and copy what they’re doing, thinking that they’re “getting somewhere”, not realising it could take us in the wrong direction. 

Worst is when we forget to look at our Good Shepherd, and we can’t recall what His voice sounds like. We wander into wherever grass looks greenest–the most enticing job offer, that attractive potential life partner, addictively fun hobbies and pursuits–not recognising how they might be luring us away from our Protector, the Overseer of our souls. 

Our Good Shepherd put His life on the line to save us (John 10:1-18). No one can do more than what He’s done, and He continues to seek us out even when we keep going astray. But why wait until we’ve fallen into a ditch and been hurt by thorny bushes? Why not stay close to Him early on, to save ourselves the pain and remain safe by His side?