Friday, May 1, 2015
John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
MY SHEEP KNOW MY VOICE AND FOLLOW ME
Sheep are among the most stupid animals. They'll stand helplessly in the freezing rain, not having a clue about where to go for shelter. Their instincts about danger betray them, making them "fair game" for predators. But they do have a redeeming feature which cannot be said of many other critters: They've got an uncanny ability to recognize their shepherd's voice.
I once read the story of an American tourist traveling in the Holy Land. He saw three shepherds bringing their flocks to the same water brook for a drink. After a while one called out: "Men-ah! men-ah!" (Arabic for "follow me!"). All his sheep immediately separated from the common herd and followed him up the hill. A short time later the second shepherd did the same and his sheep followed him merrily down the road. The tourist asked the last shepherd if he could put on his shepherd's robe, take his crook in his hand, and call out to the sheep and have them follow him. With the shepherd's permission he did so. But not a single sheep moved a muscle to follow him. They couldn't be fooled by an impostor.
This is one of the remarkable miracles of God's grace when it comes to the relationship we enjoy with Jesus. Out of all the voices clamoring for our attention:--
Whether it be false prophets who cry out seductively: "Follow me! I'll teach you something you can use for your life in a modern world, not that archaic religion of the Gospel." ... or the voice of sinful pleasure that calls out: "Everyone's doing it! Have fun! Times have changed! The moral precepts of the Ten Commandments don't apply!" ... or the voice of materialism that shouts to us: "Follow me! Accumulate as much stuff as you can as fast as you can in any way you can. It'll make you happy!"
In view of all these voices beckoning us to follow, isn't it a wonder of God's grace that we are blessed with ears that listen only to Jesus, ears that can pick out His voice as He communicates to us through the Word, ears that listen as He speaks softly, urgently, about our sin, about repentance, about forgiveness, about faith strengthened, and the happy future that awaits us in heaven.
