We Are Sheep in need...

And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” John 8:29

My Brothers, my Sisters,

Sheep need the shepherd. So too, we need our Shepherd. A stubborn sheep who frequently goes off on his own, places himself in danger and is in need of discipline.

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

In a Turkish village of Gevas on July 8, 2005, one sheep walked off a cliff dropping to his death. Dazed onlookers watched more than 1,500 fellow sheep follow suit plunging to their death. Such is the foolishness of sheep. They have no regard for the fact they need a Shepherd's protection. Often they do not  want to please the Shepherd. How like us! 

Reading in John 8:29, Jesus said all that He spoke and did pleased his Father. These words called my heart to attention!! 'I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.' My immediate thought was, "I cannot speak those words!" My next thought was: Because I am a sheep! I began to ask questions. 'What is God saying?' Jesus  just told the Pharisees God was His Father and they themselves did not know God. He said they would die in their sins because they would not believe! He as much as said they did NOT please the Father. I could understand this, but I did not understand His purpose for mentioning that He always pleased the Father? I raced to this conclusion: 'Jesus always pleased God the Father being He is God the Son! Divinity. Perfect. Sovereign. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are united in a Holiness indescribable and eternally pleasing. An intimate, infinite Oneness unalterable, impenetrable and Omnipotent! How could He not 'always' be pleasing to the Father. The Holy Trinity cannot do anything unpleasing! Right? Truly a pleasant conundrum. 

I realized Jesus must be speaking of His manhood being lived in perfect obedience to His Father. He came to live the perfect life on earth to fulfill all things. No man lives a fully acceptable or perfect life because he is a sheep (a sinner). We all like sheep have gone astray each of us has turned to his own way. Jesus tasted every difficulty, trial, loss, rejection and disappointment, being tempted in all ways as we are tempted. (Yet without sin!) He carried every sin and sorrow and loss of ours as He hung on the Cross. He lived his life to be the perfect sacrifice. He lived perfectly, He died perfectly, He rose perfectly, and He ascended perfectly and will return perfectly (in His time) in great power. He will not come to be tortured and abused for He is no longer the sacrifice but He is LORD of all and He will rule and reign forever in holiness.

Just as sheep are prey for lions, God refers to our enemy as a roaring lion. Our Shepherd has sacrificed Himself to bring eternal Victory. We are distracted, directionless and defenseless sheep. Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy. Christ is our only defense against those attacks on our faith. Satan wants to replace our trust and joy with discouragement and deceit. We are never told to fight the devil, only resist him. Jesus Victory over satan was complete and we are to receive it from the Holy Spirit, not try and produce it.  As we drink from His word we are strengthened to stand strong in the LORD and in the power of His might, just as Daniel became prey when thrown in the lion pit to face a terrible hungry foe. 

This scripture fed me this week setting my feet to dance in delight, hands raised high! I could live for weeks just off the verbs and adjectives that describe our God, who is the same today as then. Let these words melt into your being, increasing your love for our amazing Shepherd who laid down His life for us.

For He is the living God and enduring forever,
And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,
And His dominion will be forever.  “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:26-27

Are you dancing?

God, You are everything to me. I have no other possession, O my eternal inheritance! What I long for is not earthly consolations, pleasant feelings inside, brilliant enlightenment, or even extraordinary  inner graces. I am not asking for any of those gifts that come from you but which are still not you yourself. I hunger and thirst for you and you alone. I want to forget myself, to lose sight of myself. nothing else matters. I love you. F.F.

The perfect Lamb of God and yet the Shepherd. The Lamb, yet the Lion on the Throne. Do you long to glorify our great God? Your responsibility is to stay near the Shepherd and to stay near you must stay humble. His responsibility is to work by His Spirit, His glory! That frees us from the hard part. Staying near requires dying to your self in a complete surrender of your will and feeding on His Word.

My Shepherd, my Savior, You who love me to distraction. Again, I am in awe of who You are! Your Word is sweeter than honey creating hunger to be near You. You know I want to love you perfectly and do not, yet You love me, You love my brothers and Sisters with abandon and ferocity. We do not understand such love, but surrender to Love that hears and holds and hides and keeps. I long to be nearer and nearer You. Work Your glory in me so it spills out on others. Change me and continue the slow process of creating the likeness of Christ in me. You who deliver and rescue and do wonders, there are many in my family who need to be rescued and delivered from deceit and pride and self-righteousness and unbelief. Send wonders to work such glory no man will be able to claim any credit, but all the glory will be Yours Lamb of God, my Good Shepherd. I love you my God-Shepherd and pray in Jesus Name. amen

Dancing in praise of Him who poured out His love at Calvary for you and me!

az