The Parable of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, excerpts taken from John 10:1-18 (NET)
(excerpts) vs.2-5 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has all his own sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not recognize the stranger’s voice.
On my desk, I have an old hymnal (most dates cir. 1880s-1920s) and one of my favorite hymns rolling around in my head this morning is “My Sheep Know My Voice” from which I have borrowed the title for today’s devotion; words by H. Buffum:
My sheep know my voice, And the path that I take, They follow wherever I go;
My sheep know my voice And come at my call, But a stranger’s voice do they not know.
My sheep...know my voice...And day by day...They abide in the fold and go not astray.
They love me because I have made them my choice...And they follow my call...For my sheep know my voice.
This thought combines with another thought. Recently the ladies in our church have begun a new study... not so much a Bible study...but a How TO Study your Bible1. What we are already discovering is that the Bible is a book about God rather than ourselves. It tells us about who God is and about who Jesus Christ our Savior, our Shepherd, is.
My questions for me this morning are: How well do I know my Shepherd’s voice? Do I come when he calls me? And for me, this is not audible, but rather studying and knowing his Word in my mind. Do I know my Shepherd’s voice (i.e., his written Word) well enough that I can avoid the beckonings of a stranger’s voice (e.g., false doctrines, false teachings, enticing fluff, etc.)? How well do I know my Shepherd's voice?
Gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank you that I am one of the sheep in your fold because of the saving grace through your only Son, Jesus Christ. I long to learn more about you, Heavenly Father; and I long to learn more about Jesus, my Shepherd. Guide me as I study your Word. Keep me from following the voice of strangers.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
Scriptures quotations marked NET are taken from the New English Translation Bible® http://netbible.com copyright © 1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
1Wilkin, Jen. Women of the Word. Crossway, 2014.
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