Precious Moments That Count For EternitySample

I Follow the Shepherd In 2005, a sheep in Turkey went over the edge of a cliff. The whole flock of 1500 followed, resulting in the death of 450 sheep. A little research on sheep will tell you that they flock together and have strong instincts to follow other sheep. They are wired from birth to follow the older members of the flock no matter where they are led - be it to green pastures or off a cliff. That’s why they need a shepherd who can look out for their best interests, guide them to safe places and take care of them. Sometimes we behave like sheep. We fall prey to a ‘herd mentality’, which tells us what to eat, what to study, where to work, how much money to invest and so on. We tend to blindly follow the trends we see around us. But Jesus, our good Shepherd (John 10:11), calls us to live differently. He wants us to move away from the herd mentality. Stop going with the crowd and following the other sheep. Don’t allow any other sheep to lead you astray or dictate the terms of your life. Instead, be aware of your Shepherd who leads you in paths of righteousness. Listen to His voice and pursue Him. Following other sheep can be dangerous and futile. It’s only when we follow the Shepherd that He is able to lead us to green pastures and still waters, to take care of us, and meet us at our point of need (Psalm 23). Let’s forget about the other sheep and stop trying to imitate or follow them. Let’s move on into a deeper relationship with the Shepherd. Prayer Dear Lord, I am so grateful to have You as my good Shepherd, guiding and leading me every step of the way. Please help me to follow You and obey You alone, rather than the people around me. Amen.