Baaa!

"he goes before them;

and the sheep follow him"

John 10:4

When's the last time you read John chapter 10?  You should do that today if you haven't in awhile.  It's such a beautiful passage of Scripture.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  In His own words.  It's some of the sweetest, most comforting passages in the Bible.

There are just so many promises in this passage:  "I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep... I know My sheep and am known by My own..."

Those are Jesus' words about Himself.  They are words that promise us eternal life, but also His presence with us through His Word.  I love that.

But chapter 10 also has words about us.  The first six verses are a description of a shepherd ~ what a shepherd is, and is not.  "He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep... the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."  

Sounds a lot like Jesus, right?  But you need to know it. 

Now look at verses 12 and 13:  "a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep."

So... the difference between a shepherd and a hireling.  How does it apply to you? 

Well, depends.  Are you shepherding someone?  Are you ministering to someone?  Could be family, a friend, a co-worker, or a volunteer position in your community.

And if you're not ministering to someone, why not?   Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way."  And frankly, we've done it over and over again.  So you know you need a shepherd.  But you also are a shepherd... Or, at least, you're meant to be. 

So are you? 

Or are you a hireling? 

What are your motives; what is your priority?  A hireling is in it for the money.  Or the praise.  Or the recognition.  Or even that rewarding feeling one gets from helping others.

It's about thinking of others.  It's about serving, and not for any benefit to you.  Although there will be.  He'll make sure of that. 

It's a hard question to ask oneself.  Especially if you're doing something good ~ volunteering, serving, ministering.  Doing is good.  But every once in awhile we need to take a deeper look to find out why we're doing it. 

~ "Shepherd the flock of God 

which is among you, serving as overseers, 

not by compulsion but willingly,

not for dishonest gain, but eagerly;

nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, 

but being examples to the flock;

and when the Chief Shepherd appears,

you will receive the crown of glory

that does not fade away" ~

1 Peter 5:2-4