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Gayle J. Thorn

Wide, Wide World of God: Sheep


Many animals live in groups that work together in some way. Fish swim in schools. Cattle graze in herds. Dogs travel in packs. Sheep are different. While sheep are kept in flocks, they don’t stay in a

flock by their own choice. Sheep wander aimlessly. They don’t look out for each other. They don’t guide or keep each other. They wander. Often, if left unattended, sheep wander into trouble.

In the Bible, God’s children are compared frequently with sheep. For example, Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This is because spiritually we are much like sheep. Sheep are sensitive animals. They have difficulty relaxing or sleeping unless four specific conditions exist:

* Sheep need to be free from hunger.

* Sheep need to be free from fear.

* Sheep need to be free from friction.

* Sheep need to be free from pests (irritants and worries).

How does this translate to us spiritually?

First, for us to feel comfortable and at ease, we need to be spiritually at ease. We need to be spiritually well-fed. We need an adequate portion of God’s Word. We need to know it is readily available. God, our Shepherd, causes us to be hungry (Deuteronomy 8:3) then sees to it that we are nourished (II Timothy 3:16 & 17), fed the solid Word of God (Hebrews 5:13 & 14).

Second, we need to be free from fear. Fear paralyzes us. It keeps us from moving forward and going in the direction God wants us to go. Fear separates us from God’s love (I John 4:18). God’s Spirit, the Spirit of Power, lives in all believers (II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 56:3 & 4) so we have no reason to fear.

Third, we need to be free from spiritual friction. Spiritual friction is the worry that we have offended or been offended, fear of not being forgiven, bitterness, nervousness, or concern over uncomfortable relationships or situations, people climbing over one another to become successful (Matthew 6:12, Matthew 5:23 & 24, Matthew 5:44-48), trying to top, outdo, or be better than other people.

Fourth, we need to be free of spiritual “pests.” Spiritual pests are negative or sinful thoughts or habits, the things that we know are wrong but annoy us until we give in. These pests also include arguments that are counter to God’s truth and ideas that are untrue, deceitful, wicked, impure, etc. (II Corinthians 10;3-5, Philippians 4:6-9).

Fifth, we need to be free from spiritual starvation. Our Shepherd feeds us His Word. He protects us. He gives us the means to remove friction, stress, and worry from our lives, and He gives us peas from the pests of the mind (Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 23:5) by anointing us with the oil of His love.

Without Jesus to guide us and protect us, we each wander off and follow our own way. We are lost and unable to find our way back to God.

I hope you will stop straying away from God like a lost sheep. I hope you will turn to Jesus, the Good Shepherd. I hope you will allow Him to return you to the path that God has chosen for you and to help you remain on that safe, wholesome path. I hope you will trust Him and let Him shepherd you.

Related Scripture:

1 Peter 2:25 - “For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Matthew 9:36 – “When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Psalms 100:3 – “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

John 10:1-5; 11-15 – “I [Jesus] tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice…I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Jeremiah 50:6 – “My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.”

John 21:15 – “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’

‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’

Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’

Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me?’

He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’

Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’

The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’

He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’

Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.’”

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