John 10:27
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
Sheep are dumb animals. If you have ever seen them, you know what I mean. Apart from the silly herd mentality which they possess, which can result them pointlessly running away when the herd is spooked, they really smell too. The imagery of sheeps being cute, fluffy animals were ruined when I saw them up close and live in Australia. Not only was the wool often dirty, the smell of them was good enough to make me refuse the touristy act of carrying a lamb to take a picture. A good thing too because the lamb promptly decided to urinate when the person in front of me carried the lamb to take the obligatory tourist picture. That put off my impression of lambs being cute and adorable for life.
Yet, the bible records the idea of Jesus as the shepherd and mankind as the sheep. Today, it dawned upon me that if we humans find sheep to be stupidly low IQ animals, how much more extreme the rift between the Almighty God versus us human being. No wonder we are compared to Sheep!
Sheep are defenceless animals whose only form of defence against enemies is to run away, and not as if they can outrun their enemies! Thus, the weakest of them would often be caught by enemies and through the sacrifice of one can the other sheep live to survive for another day. Even with a shepard to watch over them, sheeps would still wonder away foolishly and find themselves in danger or lost. The term obedience is really some foreign to describe sheep and not something which one can try to instill in them through training. Personally, I think it must be really zapping to look after sheeps because you got to constantly look out for them and also to guide them. If your attention stray, you stand a high chance of a sheep or two straying, barring the fact that the herd doesn't run off at the slightest thing that scares them.
However, in spite of the low IQ, disloyal wandering nature of sheeps, we know that they, like most animals in the animal kingdom recognise the person who feeds and looks after them. I'm not sure about you, but having recognise the plain stupidity of sheep and how irritating it must be to look after such an unteachable animal, I have new found gratitude to God for being very patient with me and for offering to be my shepherd.
I know that like stupid sheep which I despise, I too share the same traits of them and can never stay focused on my Saviour and would wander off occasionally without realising that it puts me at great risks. Thus, I thank God for patiently looking after my wellbeing and calling out to me whenever I wander off, so I can wander back to the direction of His voice.
Surely, you and I can frankly look at ourselves in the mirror of self-reflection and see traits of disobedient and stupid sheep which are really unlovable. But the word of God says that inspite of our blemishes and foolishness, God loves us unceasingly and want us to hear His voice and follow Him whereever He goes. Will you today stop wandering where you desire and walk in the direction of the Shepherd's voice because He loves us inspite of our sheep-like nature.
blessings,
M.
"what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 10:12)
01 October 2007
Hearing Sheep
John 10:27
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
Sheep are dumb animals. If you have ever seen them, you know what I mean. Apart from the silly herd mentality which they possess, which can result them pointlessly running away when the herd is spooked, they really smell too. The imagery of sheeps being cute, fluffy animals were ruined when I saw them up close and live in Australia. Not only was the wool often dirty, the smell of them was good enough to make me refuse the touristy act of carrying a lamb to take a picture. A good thing too because the lamb promptly decided to urinate when the person in front of me carried the lamb to take the obligatory tourist picture. That put off my impression of lambs being cute and adorable for life.
Yet, the bible records the idea of Jesus as the shepherd and mankind as the sheep. Today, it dawned upon me that if we humans find sheep to be stupidly low IQ animals, how much more extreme the rift between the Almighty God versus us human being. No wonder we are compared to Sheep!
Sheep are defenceless animals whose only form of defence against enemies is to run away, and not as if they can outrun their enemies! Thus, the weakest of them would often be caught by enemies and through the sacrifice of one can the other sheep live to survive for another day. Even with a shepard to watch over them, sheeps would still wonder away foolishly and find themselves in danger or lost. The term obedience is really some foreign to describe sheep and not something which one can try to instill in them through training. Personally, I think it must be really zapping to look after sheeps because you got to constantly look out for them and also to guide them. If your attention stray, you stand a high chance of a sheep or two straying, barring the fact that the herd doesn't run off at the slightest thing that scares them.
However, in spite of the low IQ, disloyal wandering nature of sheeps, we know that they, like most animals in the animal kingdom recognise the person who feeds and looks after them. I'm not sure about you, but having recognise the plain stupidity of sheep and how irritating it must be to look after such an unteachable animal, I have new found gratitude to God for being very patient with me and for offering to be my shepherd.
I know that like stupid sheep which I despise, I too share the same traits of them and can never stay focused on my Saviour and would wander off occasionally without realising that it puts me at great risks. Thus, I thank God for patiently looking after my wellbeing and calling out to me whenever I wander off, so I can wander back to the direction of His voice.
Surely, you and I can frankly look at ourselves in the mirror of self-reflection and see traits of disobedient and stupid sheep which are really unlovable. But the word of God says that inspite of our blemishes and foolishness, God loves us unceasingly and want us to hear His voice and follow Him whereever He goes. Will you today stop wandering where you desire and walk in the direction of the Shepherd's voice because He loves us inspite of our sheep-like nature.
blessings,
M.
"what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 10:12)
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
Sheep are dumb animals. If you have ever seen them, you know what I mean. Apart from the silly herd mentality which they possess, which can result them pointlessly running away when the herd is spooked, they really smell too. The imagery of sheeps being cute, fluffy animals were ruined when I saw them up close and live in Australia. Not only was the wool often dirty, the smell of them was good enough to make me refuse the touristy act of carrying a lamb to take a picture. A good thing too because the lamb promptly decided to urinate when the person in front of me carried the lamb to take the obligatory tourist picture. That put off my impression of lambs being cute and adorable for life.
Yet, the bible records the idea of Jesus as the shepherd and mankind as the sheep. Today, it dawned upon me that if we humans find sheep to be stupidly low IQ animals, how much more extreme the rift between the Almighty God versus us human being. No wonder we are compared to Sheep!
Sheep are defenceless animals whose only form of defence against enemies is to run away, and not as if they can outrun their enemies! Thus, the weakest of them would often be caught by enemies and through the sacrifice of one can the other sheep live to survive for another day. Even with a shepard to watch over them, sheeps would still wonder away foolishly and find themselves in danger or lost. The term obedience is really some foreign to describe sheep and not something which one can try to instill in them through training. Personally, I think it must be really zapping to look after sheeps because you got to constantly look out for them and also to guide them. If your attention stray, you stand a high chance of a sheep or two straying, barring the fact that the herd doesn't run off at the slightest thing that scares them.
However, in spite of the low IQ, disloyal wandering nature of sheeps, we know that they, like most animals in the animal kingdom recognise the person who feeds and looks after them. I'm not sure about you, but having recognise the plain stupidity of sheep and how irritating it must be to look after such an unteachable animal, I have new found gratitude to God for being very patient with me and for offering to be my shepherd.
I know that like stupid sheep which I despise, I too share the same traits of them and can never stay focused on my Saviour and would wander off occasionally without realising that it puts me at great risks. Thus, I thank God for patiently looking after my wellbeing and calling out to me whenever I wander off, so I can wander back to the direction of His voice.
Surely, you and I can frankly look at ourselves in the mirror of self-reflection and see traits of disobedient and stupid sheep which are really unlovable. But the word of God says that inspite of our blemishes and foolishness, God loves us unceasingly and want us to hear His voice and follow Him whereever He goes. Will you today stop wandering where you desire and walk in the direction of the Shepherd's voice because He loves us inspite of our sheep-like nature.
blessings,
M.
"what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 10:12)
