You are no sheep of mine
Imagine the feeling of having dedicated your life to what you firmly believed was the correct and righteous thing to do, only to be confronted with the immaculate beauty of Jesus as He looks deep down into your eyes and says, “You don’t belong with me”. I was reading through the gospel of John the other day in the Amplified Bible and stumbled upon some words that really frightened me. Jesus was walking through a parable that I have known for decades, however in this version the text portrays Jesus standing in front of some inquisitive Jews and says to them "You are no sheep of mine". These men were committed religious gurus who had dedicate their lives to following Jesus' Father, but there was an abysmal disconnect between what they were preaching and the lives they were living. How easy it is for me to sit back in my chair, read these words and think, "Poor guys, they really missed the mark". Yet, I couldn't help but envision the day I will stand before Jesus and imagine Him uttering these very words to me. Frightening. Yes, you became a missionary at a young age and were actively involved in ministry and helped some kids, but YOU are no sheep of mine. I am not usually frightened by what I read in the bible, but this time I could feel my eyes open wide and my heart beat fast as I thought about the monumental moment when I will see Jesus face to face. Will I, like the Jews, believe I am doing everything right and dedicating my entire life to following Him without actually doing what He says?
It's one of our most intrinsic human needs; to belong to something greater than ourselves, to find our purpose for existence in the context of a community with a nurturing authority figure who singles you out as precious and worthy. But imagine standing before the greatest being who has ever lived, the one who thoughtfully created those very needs and desires we all have, and to have Him say that you are not one of His. Following Jesus is so much more important than I thought it was. Truly following Him has such an incredible eternal impact and the enemy wants nothing less than for me to be in the group of sheep that doesn’t belong. This echoes another verse that has haunted me for decades, in Luke 6:46 where Jesus says, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and don’t do what I say?” Jesus offered wide open invitations to follow him but with very real and specific instructions. Following Him would look different than following Cesar or the elite Jews of the day. I am freshly intrigued by the comparison of Jesus being our shepherd and that we are to simply follow and obey Him because it is the best thing for us. So, the question remains: are you truly following Jesus or just doing a good job at looking like you do? If he asks you to stop criticizing your government or move to another country or enter into a season of rest and uncertainty, would you follow? Jesus' desire is that we would belong to Him and find our security and identity wrapped up in who He is, but I need to take Him at His word. So I choose to surrender. More than anything I choose to live intentionally, trusting that God looks down at me through the lens of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection and confidently says, "This one's mine." The Good Shepherd had to lay his own life down for this to happen and if that's the kind of God we are talking about, then I definitely choose to follow.
It's one of our most intrinsic human needs; to belong to something greater than ourselves, to find our purpose for existence in the context of a community with a nurturing authority figure who singles you out as precious and worthy. But imagine standing before the greatest being who has ever lived, the one who thoughtfully created those very needs and desires we all have, and to have Him say that you are not one of His. Following Jesus is so much more important than I thought it was. Truly following Him has such an incredible eternal impact and the enemy wants nothing less than for me to be in the group of sheep that doesn’t belong. This echoes another verse that has haunted me for decades, in Luke 6:46 where Jesus says, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and don’t do what I say?” Jesus offered wide open invitations to follow him but with very real and specific instructions. Following Him would look different than following Cesar or the elite Jews of the day. I am freshly intrigued by the comparison of Jesus being our shepherd and that we are to simply follow and obey Him because it is the best thing for us. So, the question remains: are you truly following Jesus or just doing a good job at looking like you do? If he asks you to stop criticizing your government or move to another country or enter into a season of rest and uncertainty, would you follow? Jesus' desire is that we would belong to Him and find our security and identity wrapped up in who He is, but I need to take Him at His word. So I choose to surrender. More than anything I choose to live intentionally, trusting that God looks down at me through the lens of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection and confidently says, "This one's mine." The Good Shepherd had to lay his own life down for this to happen and if that's the kind of God we are talking about, then I definitely choose to follow.
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