Jesus the Good Shepherd

We’ve heard it all so many times before: Jesus is our Good Shepherd and He cares for His sheep. But what does this really mean?

We’ve heard it so many times before: Jesus died for our sins that we might have eternal life. So if my sins are forgiven, then what else does Jesus want from me? Isn’t it enough that I believe in Him?

We’ve also heard that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and He cares for His sheep. But what does this really mean? If I believe in Him He will take care of me and solve my problems?

Not really. Since Jesus gave His life for us, that we might live eternally, He wants nothing less than that we surrender our lives to Him. Does that sound like too high a price to pay?

When I think about it, I realize it’s not. It’s kind of like the manufacturer of your car telling you that if you follow the instructions, the car will run better and last longer. The One who created us is merely telling us that He knows better than we do how to run our lives.

That’s where the Good Shepherd part comes in. Like someone caring for a flock of sheep, Jesus cares for us. He leads us, guides us, protects us. What He doesn’t want is for us to try to shepherd ourselves.

And how do I shepherd myself? Let me count the ways. I make plans without consulting Him in prayer. I do things I know are sinful. And I do them, I either rationalize with “it’s not that big a deal” or “just this once” or some other lame excuse. Or I go ahead and sin and enjoy it, flippantly presuming on God’s forgiveness, forgetting how costly that forgiveness was. I go my own way and ask Him for directions once I’ve gotten lost.
We’ve all been raised to be independent, self-sufficient adults. But if we take that into the spiritual realm, all that self-sufficiency serves to separate us from Christ.

We might think that we really don’t need a shepherd’s protection. After all, what are some of the dangers that I need a shepherd to protect me from? I can start my list with materialism and egocentrism, and add selfishness and laziness. This is another list I wouldn’t have too much trouble making very long.

So if I really do need a shepherd’s guidance and protection, how can I hear His voice better? There are a lot of other voices out there telling us what to do and to think.

There’s no magic to learning to know the voice of the Good Shepherd. Like anything else, it takes practice. Read His Word, pray for guidance about how to apply that Word to your life, and then go and obey what you’ve learned.

As we allow God’s word to transform us, the voice of our Good Shepherd will become easier to hear. We’ll know the Shepherd, the One who bought our salvation with His life, and we’ll know His voice.

What is Discipleship?

It’s an amazing thing, really, that Jesus’ small band of disciples could create a movement that started as small persecuted sect and ended up dominating the culture of the Roman Empire. It makes me wonder. With all the resources we have today, our Christian books and Bible studies, television and radio broadcasts, videos and conferences, why don’t we see that kind of impact on our own society?

The answer, I think, is found in our scripture verse this week, in Jesus’ final command to His disciples. Go and make disciples. Teach them to obey My teaching. He didn’t say converts—that’s only part of the job. He wasn’t looking for people who would claim to know Him. What He wanted was people who would put into practice what He taught. Doers of the word, not just hearers.

So I need to look at myself. Am I really a disciple, a disciplined follower of Jesus, a doer of the word? Or am I content with just knowing about Him?

Jesus’ real test of a disciple goes beyond simple obedience to love. They will know you are My followers by how you love one another.

How well do I love others? I’m not so sure how the customer service representatives of our health insurance company would answer that question—or some of the other drivers on Highway 40. And sometimes it’s tough to know the best way to show love, like when dealing with a demanding child.

But I don’t have to let my failure and struggles stop me. The important thing to remember is that discipleship is a process.

What does this process do? It

• Trains us to live in a way that pleases God
• Transforms us to be like Christ

So that

• Our lives become an expression of Christ’s love
• Others want to know the Source of that love

This is how we can find meaningful relationships and show unconditional love; this is how we can impact our own corner of the world and beyond.

I’m excited about the beginning of a new year of Discipleship by Design as we continue the process of learning to be disciples. What’s most exciting to me is that it’s not just learning facts, but learning how to use what we have learned. Sometimes we may fail, at others we will succeed, but in the end will be the rewards of knowing Christ and His love that never fails.