The work of a shepherd is not for the faint-hearted. The 24/7 needs of a flock of sheep leave no time out for stormy weather or bodily fatigue. And perhaps most difficult of all, sheep are rarely grateful and mostly oblivious to the sacrifices of careful leadership. Long before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus was giving His life for the sheep. His earthly ministry was one that began in His mother’s womb.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. . . . And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice” (John 10:2, 4). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). “I am the good shepherd. . . . And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, . . . and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. . . . My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life” (John 10:14, 16, 27–28). “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will” (Hebrews 13:20–21).
GOLDEN THOUGHT: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (October 26 reading).]
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