GOOD SHEPHERD

By Rick Mathes

John 10:14 ” I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me,

It all fits: the “I AM” is a Shepherd. His for too many years I followed bad shepherds and the led me down the wide road with all the strobe lights, booze, marijuana, sex and rock and roll. It was a 25 year nightmare that I thank God every day that it is over. My new life was begun and by His grace the Good Shepherd led me beside quiet waters and does so to this day.

He is the owner of His sheep. They were bought and paid-in-full on His Cross. The rest of your life is none of your business. Jesus is going to do with you what He wants to do, when He wants to, how He wants to, if He feels like it. We are willing sheep of His of His flock and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I know that as a member of His flock, He will keep me well fed and protected for any fatal attraction or deadly force. The alternative is a cage in Satan’s mansion: a house of death and insanity. We truly are good hands when we are in His. He said He would never leave us nor forsake us and no one could take us out of His hands.

What better provider and leader would you prefer to Jesus? He is our defender as well, so I would strongly suggest that you get to love Him and His Holy Spirit will be very active in your life because Jesus is life. How can a person such as Jesus be a concept? We’ll find out in glory.

It’s really fascinating to witness a shepherd call his sheep and then watch the sheep that are his separate at His voice from those who are not His. They know His voice and respond to his calling because they were chosen to be his sheep and his sheep only.

Everyone is under authority of someone and in free countries that someone is someone you have chosen. We listen to their statements of purpose and if compatible with our beliefs, we follow them. The most notable leaders are the pastors who follow our Master. No man is an island unto himself. But no man can stand alone. He either loves trusts or follows Jesus or he casts his lot with Rev. Lucifer and his army of fallen angels. It’s all a matter of love. The Bible says that if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. Choose to love the Good Shepherd because He first loved you, fair enough?