The Bible portrays many pictures of the Lord Jesus being the caring, compassionate shepherd of His sheep.
He is the Good Shepherd who will look for a wandering sheep and bring it back to His fold to be kept, valued and safe forever. “The Lord will…preserve me for His Heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18). Where is our source of value found? Let’s imagine the mindset of a sheep, like the one in the parable of Luke 15. He must have thought that he could find a better life elsewhere. He wandered away, curious and maybe doubting the care of the Good Shepherd. A sheep on its own would have been susceptible to all kinds of danger: wolves, crevices to fall into, and loneliness could have snared him as he ventured out in life alone.
With regards to the unrest in society and to the continuing struggle for various people groups to be valued and accepted, God does have good news!
If we look to people and the things of the world to find value, we will always be disappointed and feel alone. People will fail us. Their opinions and judgments always change according to their circumstances. But the Good Shepherd never changes. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). His love for us is not based on what we do or don’t do, but on who He is. He is always seeking to bring lost sheep home. He will give us the value and acknowledgment that we crave, because He made us. He is the only one who can give us true purpose We can’t find value, purpose and acceptance in ourselves because we were never created to walk alone or to depend on people to give us the acceptance we are looking for.
Each sheep in the Good Shepherd’s sheepfold was lost at one time. Each one was found individually. Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The lost includes each one of us because each of us has failed to keep His commands, and we have wandered away from His perfect will. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).
Thankfully, all sheep matter in God’s sight. We were made for a relationship with Him. However, until we seek Him with our whole heart and find the satisfaction that only He can give, we will continue to experience the great disappointments that the world offers.
When we recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as our Good Shepherd, our perspective changes. We live with brand new hope and standards that are not of this world. “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The world will never have peace, nor the people in the world, until each person acknowledges the Good Shepherd and submits to His care and authority.
Are you a wandering sheep, seeking to find value and contentment apart from a relationship with the Good Shepherd? He gave His life for you so that you could be forgiven and have true peace.
The Devil is working diligently in this world to rob wandering sheep of their lives and to turn them against each other. If you trust the Lord Jesus Christ and take Him as your Saviour and Shepherd, He promises to give you rest in green pastures and to lead you beside the still waters (Psalm 23:2). You will have peace, because the Prince of Peace will live in you. “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).
Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Do you believe Him? Trust Him for yourself and ask Him to show you who He is. He will not fail you. He is the only one who is trustworthy. “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
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