STAYING IN THE SHEEPFOLD
"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." - John 10:24
Dear Lord, sometimes this sheepfold may be too dull for me to continue to be among them, and most times I feel I am of a different specie and I may want to be excused from the fold. But in this folly of mine, I may begin to wander away, and from this same foolishness, I may not even be a sheep anymore. How do I remain a sheep, meekly obeying, meekly following, listening to the voice of the Shepherd, stupidly, yes stupidly following through the paths? I know this shepherd has my best interest at heart and in fact at a time He gave His life for me.
I wonder if the Lord has sheep at all, I am convinced that the Lord is all He is, and a Shepherd inclusive, but to state that this Shepherd has sheep I am in doubt using my stubborn self as an example. A sheep is bent on following the Master all the way, but I am nothing like that, I question His authority, I doubt His works, I want Him to do what I suggest and will, how then am I a sheep?
If the Lord by His mercy has called us the people of His pasture, then the ball is indeed in our courts, to conform to that meekness of the sheep, if by any chance we may attain the meekness a sheep is known for. It is not false to state that, there are wolves in this so called sheepfold, they have sheep's clothing, but they have devoured the real sheep, there are goats also, who have stayed on their opinion and will not in any way follow the shepherd.
It is possible to be in the fold and yet be a sheep, if you hear His voice and obey, you are His sheep, but there is something about the sheep that has wandered away, and our great Shepherd is concerned about their welfare, they will soon find no grass to eat, and the wolves is lurking around really seeking whom to devour - the Lord is concerned about these lost sheep.
SHEEP WITHOUT SHEPHERD
"But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." - Matt 9:26
Even though the Lord had compassion on that day, I do not even think that the sheep felt they needed compassion, it was out of mercy that the scriptures said they were like sheep without shepherd, but the truth is that these sheep without shepherd often think they do not need one; they were those who antagonised Jesus, and felt He wasn't needed, after all, they were gathered like sheep.
The state at which we are is exactly the weary state, the people are scattered, confused about life, no direction though always in search of green pastures, and looking for still waters, this stubborn sheep continues to wander far into weariness and hopelessness. I pray the Lord will have compassion and look beyond out 'goatiness' and treat us with all gentleness as a sheep.
It is possible to have a gathering of sheep without a shepherd, it is in such a place that the wolves delight, it is in such a place that the nature of a sheep is grown into a goat and also into wolves; if we take independence from the sheepfold, our gathering will be a lost cause because it is without a shepherd.
After we must have excused ourselves from the fold, we decide to have another sheepfold, but the matter is that, I am not sure whether we can call the gathering of sheep without a shepherd a sheepfold, it is true that one may have the physical appearance of a sheep at a time like this, but the fact is that, a sheepfold without a shepherd is a lost sheep already, doomed for the pit. Only compassion can make us hear his voice.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:6
There is no one exempted from this, it is the same interpretation of Rom 3:23, for all have sinned, for we all like this sheep have gone astray. Again I see this usage of sheep as what the Lord intends us to be and not what we really are at a time like this, the Lord sees that we have a shepherd, and that is why He refers to us as sheep.
If you have gone astray dear friend, you need a shepherd urgently, you need to come into the sheepfold so that you can find rest for your soul, if truly you need a shepherd, then you truly need to be that meek sheep, you need to be humble and allow the shepherd use His rod and His staff upon you - that is direction.
The Lord will always be the shepherd that He is, but we may not always be the sheep that we should be; this is the crux of the matter, this is the matter that cannot be glossed over, and yes Lord, there is a need for a shepherd right now, our thoughts are scattered and weariness is setting in - please Lord, come and be the shepherd of our souls!
WHEN THE SHEEP IS LOST
"What do you think? If a man has hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?" - Matt 28:12
You have been in the fold before, but have developed a will of your own, a will that is independent of the shepherd's rod and staff, and you have strayed away into the harsh wilderness and there you are, lost and do not know where to turn or where to go, but know this that this word is meant to find you. The sheep cannot find itself back by itself, the shepherd has to find it, if not; that will be the end.
I often wonder why the Lord will cherish a 'one' more than the ninety-nine at hand, but the Lord has been gracious, He has opened my mind to see and appreciate the fact that, when one is lost, our collective strength is depleted and we may not be a complete fold anymore. This is the reason why the angels and all the saints rejoice when the wanderer is found back into the fold.
Every sheep lost in the wilderness of life is worth the precious blood of Jesus, every sheep that has taken the nomenclature of a goat is worth the blood of Jesus, why not believe this and see yourself back into the fold, the Lord refuses to make you a wanderer and a destitute - please come and let Him feed you. In fact the Master has left us the ninety-nine safe in a place, in order to find you, please come back and let's proceed on the paths of righteousness for His name sake.
"I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments." - Psalm 119:172
You who is lost, would you please say the above prayer with all sincerity, would you for a moment cry and show that you really want to be found, the Lord will find you in that state and will surely rescue you. You could be in church and yet you are lost, you have separated yourself from the path of the congregation, you have your eleventh commandment and yet you think you know where you are.
Where are you? You thought the grass is greener on the other side, but you just found out that it was all a mirage, you want to come back, please come back, can I also say that, if the fold does not welcome you back, then the fold has been compromised, overlook the casting eyes of the brethren and look unto heaven, see as the angels are rejoicing over your return.
Jesus only permitted His disciples to go to the lost of the house of Israel, and He is so concerned about the lost, the truth of the matter is that; even though you have strayed, it doesn't mean that you have suddenly become irredeemable - the seed of Christ abides in you and you are still the sheep of His pastures. Please this sheepfold needs you.
GIVING THE LIFE FOR A SHEEP
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." - John 10:11
Let us not be deceived that the shepherd is never at risk, David was a teen shepherd who was leading his fathers flock at a time and the sheep were attacked by a lion, it appeared as if the lion was after the sheep, but really, David wouldn't be a bad menu after all. This is the tactics of the enemy. But Jesus who is a great shepherd will lay down His life that we should live, He laid down His life not to leave us shepherd-less but for us to really take on a new nature - that meek sheep nature.
The sheep is the lower mammal and may not be so cherished, we as humans may not be comparable to the image of this sinless Jesus who is pure and all righteous, yet My Lord willingly laid down His life for a wandering sheep, He will lose it all for us to have it all, He will go through the valley of the shadow of death to lead without fear. Ultimately, He laid the life down so that we can become like Him, but still dependent on Him.
Now this shepherd is all powerful, no one can snatch us away from His hands, He has kept us safe and will lead us through the paths we need to go. The hireling wouldn't care, some pastors and leaders are actually hirelings and they won't go all the way for us. But Jesus went all the way.
"Then Jesus said to them, 'All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.''" - Mark 14:27
Leaders are been attacked and the congregation is scattered and weary, but because we have a great shepherd, who has laid down His life and taken it up again, we won't be scattered too long, we wont be lost too far. He has laid His life for us.
This is the reason why we need to pray for our leaders, many things are at stake, that is why when a leader falls or breaks consecration like Samson did, it will take a long time to find a replacement. We must pray that the Lord upholds the leader so that we can move in such path as the Lord deems fit.
I need you to understand the price the Lord payed for this sheepfold to be intact, how come we do not want to regard the sacrifice of this great shepherd, some are still adamant of being lost, some do not want the shepherd over them, that would imply grace in vain. This shepherd has purchased you as His sheep, He didn't just take you like that, His blood was the price for you to belong to His sheepfold. Why not consider it...
SEPARATION
"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left." - Matt 25:32-33
I must sound a warning to those pretenders of the faith, who still do not want to belong to His sheepfold, but are there to cause division and strife, when the Lord comes, He can identify His sheep, He knows them and they know Him..He will do a separation.
Do you see yourself on His right hand or on the left? Are you one of those in the sheepfold but really not a sheep? You have all the features but your disposition has always been that of a goat, please, it is a terrible thing to be on that left side, it is a separation that comes with its own consequences.
Those are on the left hand as the goat, actually loves the sheepfold, but may not be too comfortable being a sheep, that meekness to them is stupidity and they wouldn't have anything of such, so they put on another nature, but stay put in the fellowship of sheep. The Lord is against such.
CONCLUSION:
There is a sheepfold you belong, I hope you have not wandered away, I hope you are really a sheep in the true sense, agreeing with the shepherd and being led with His rod and staff. He already paid the price for you.
God bless you and I love you
Akinsuroju Femi
© The Fundamentals
Dear Lord, sometimes this sheepfold may be too dull for me to continue to be among them, and most times I feel I am of a different specie and I may want to be excused from the fold. But in this folly of mine, I may begin to wander away, and from this same foolishness, I may not even be a sheep anymore. How do I remain a sheep, meekly obeying, meekly following, listening to the voice of the Shepherd, stupidly, yes stupidly following through the paths? I know this shepherd has my best interest at heart and in fact at a time He gave His life for me.
I wonder if the Lord has sheep at all, I am convinced that the Lord is all He is, and a Shepherd inclusive, but to state that this Shepherd has sheep I am in doubt using my stubborn self as an example. A sheep is bent on following the Master all the way, but I am nothing like that, I question His authority, I doubt His works, I want Him to do what I suggest and will, how then am I a sheep?
If the Lord by His mercy has called us the people of His pasture, then the ball is indeed in our courts, to conform to that meekness of the sheep, if by any chance we may attain the meekness a sheep is known for. It is not false to state that, there are wolves in this so called sheepfold, they have sheep's clothing, but they have devoured the real sheep, there are goats also, who have stayed on their opinion and will not in any way follow the shepherd.
It is possible to be in the fold and yet be a sheep, if you hear His voice and obey, you are His sheep, but there is something about the sheep that has wandered away, and our great Shepherd is concerned about their welfare, they will soon find no grass to eat, and the wolves is lurking around really seeking whom to devour - the Lord is concerned about these lost sheep.
SHEEP WITHOUT SHEPHERD
"But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." - Matt 9:26
Even though the Lord had compassion on that day, I do not even think that the sheep felt they needed compassion, it was out of mercy that the scriptures said they were like sheep without shepherd, but the truth is that these sheep without shepherd often think they do not need one; they were those who antagonised Jesus, and felt He wasn't needed, after all, they were gathered like sheep.
The state at which we are is exactly the weary state, the people are scattered, confused about life, no direction though always in search of green pastures, and looking for still waters, this stubborn sheep continues to wander far into weariness and hopelessness. I pray the Lord will have compassion and look beyond out 'goatiness' and treat us with all gentleness as a sheep.
It is possible to have a gathering of sheep without a shepherd, it is in such a place that the wolves delight, it is in such a place that the nature of a sheep is grown into a goat and also into wolves; if we take independence from the sheepfold, our gathering will be a lost cause because it is without a shepherd.
After we must have excused ourselves from the fold, we decide to have another sheepfold, but the matter is that, I am not sure whether we can call the gathering of sheep without a shepherd a sheepfold, it is true that one may have the physical appearance of a sheep at a time like this, but the fact is that, a sheepfold without a shepherd is a lost sheep already, doomed for the pit. Only compassion can make us hear his voice.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:6
There is no one exempted from this, it is the same interpretation of Rom 3:23, for all have sinned, for we all like this sheep have gone astray. Again I see this usage of sheep as what the Lord intends us to be and not what we really are at a time like this, the Lord sees that we have a shepherd, and that is why He refers to us as sheep.
If you have gone astray dear friend, you need a shepherd urgently, you need to come into the sheepfold so that you can find rest for your soul, if truly you need a shepherd, then you truly need to be that meek sheep, you need to be humble and allow the shepherd use His rod and His staff upon you - that is direction.
The Lord will always be the shepherd that He is, but we may not always be the sheep that we should be; this is the crux of the matter, this is the matter that cannot be glossed over, and yes Lord, there is a need for a shepherd right now, our thoughts are scattered and weariness is setting in - please Lord, come and be the shepherd of our souls!
WHEN THE SHEEP IS LOST
"What do you think? If a man has hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?" - Matt 28:12
You have been in the fold before, but have developed a will of your own, a will that is independent of the shepherd's rod and staff, and you have strayed away into the harsh wilderness and there you are, lost and do not know where to turn or where to go, but know this that this word is meant to find you. The sheep cannot find itself back by itself, the shepherd has to find it, if not; that will be the end.
I often wonder why the Lord will cherish a 'one' more than the ninety-nine at hand, but the Lord has been gracious, He has opened my mind to see and appreciate the fact that, when one is lost, our collective strength is depleted and we may not be a complete fold anymore. This is the reason why the angels and all the saints rejoice when the wanderer is found back into the fold.
Every sheep lost in the wilderness of life is worth the precious blood of Jesus, every sheep that has taken the nomenclature of a goat is worth the blood of Jesus, why not believe this and see yourself back into the fold, the Lord refuses to make you a wanderer and a destitute - please come and let Him feed you. In fact the Master has left us the ninety-nine safe in a place, in order to find you, please come back and let's proceed on the paths of righteousness for His name sake.
"I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments." - Psalm 119:172
You who is lost, would you please say the above prayer with all sincerity, would you for a moment cry and show that you really want to be found, the Lord will find you in that state and will surely rescue you. You could be in church and yet you are lost, you have separated yourself from the path of the congregation, you have your eleventh commandment and yet you think you know where you are.
Where are you? You thought the grass is greener on the other side, but you just found out that it was all a mirage, you want to come back, please come back, can I also say that, if the fold does not welcome you back, then the fold has been compromised, overlook the casting eyes of the brethren and look unto heaven, see as the angels are rejoicing over your return.
Jesus only permitted His disciples to go to the lost of the house of Israel, and He is so concerned about the lost, the truth of the matter is that; even though you have strayed, it doesn't mean that you have suddenly become irredeemable - the seed of Christ abides in you and you are still the sheep of His pastures. Please this sheepfold needs you.
GIVING THE LIFE FOR A SHEEP
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." - John 10:11
Let us not be deceived that the shepherd is never at risk, David was a teen shepherd who was leading his fathers flock at a time and the sheep were attacked by a lion, it appeared as if the lion was after the sheep, but really, David wouldn't be a bad menu after all. This is the tactics of the enemy. But Jesus who is a great shepherd will lay down His life that we should live, He laid down His life not to leave us shepherd-less but for us to really take on a new nature - that meek sheep nature.
The sheep is the lower mammal and may not be so cherished, we as humans may not be comparable to the image of this sinless Jesus who is pure and all righteous, yet My Lord willingly laid down His life for a wandering sheep, He will lose it all for us to have it all, He will go through the valley of the shadow of death to lead without fear. Ultimately, He laid the life down so that we can become like Him, but still dependent on Him.
Now this shepherd is all powerful, no one can snatch us away from His hands, He has kept us safe and will lead us through the paths we need to go. The hireling wouldn't care, some pastors and leaders are actually hirelings and they won't go all the way for us. But Jesus went all the way.
"Then Jesus said to them, 'All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.''" - Mark 14:27
Leaders are been attacked and the congregation is scattered and weary, but because we have a great shepherd, who has laid down His life and taken it up again, we won't be scattered too long, we wont be lost too far. He has laid His life for us.
This is the reason why we need to pray for our leaders, many things are at stake, that is why when a leader falls or breaks consecration like Samson did, it will take a long time to find a replacement. We must pray that the Lord upholds the leader so that we can move in such path as the Lord deems fit.
I need you to understand the price the Lord payed for this sheepfold to be intact, how come we do not want to regard the sacrifice of this great shepherd, some are still adamant of being lost, some do not want the shepherd over them, that would imply grace in vain. This shepherd has purchased you as His sheep, He didn't just take you like that, His blood was the price for you to belong to His sheepfold. Why not consider it...
SEPARATION
"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left." - Matt 25:32-33
I must sound a warning to those pretenders of the faith, who still do not want to belong to His sheepfold, but are there to cause division and strife, when the Lord comes, He can identify His sheep, He knows them and they know Him..He will do a separation.
Do you see yourself on His right hand or on the left? Are you one of those in the sheepfold but really not a sheep? You have all the features but your disposition has always been that of a goat, please, it is a terrible thing to be on that left side, it is a separation that comes with its own consequences.
Those are on the left hand as the goat, actually loves the sheepfold, but may not be too comfortable being a sheep, that meekness to them is stupidity and they wouldn't have anything of such, so they put on another nature, but stay put in the fellowship of sheep. The Lord is against such.
CONCLUSION:
There is a sheepfold you belong, I hope you have not wandered away, I hope you are really a sheep in the true sense, agreeing with the shepherd and being led with His rod and staff. He already paid the price for you.
God bless you and I love you
Akinsuroju Femi
© The Fundamentals
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