YWOP - Meeting 4 " I am the good Shepherd"

Well we've completed meeting 4 and it appears we're on a bit of a journey. First we were told that he is the light, and then he is the door, so imagine a street light allowing us to see a door to a particular house, we knock on that door and He opens it to invite us in to eat of the bread. Well now, he says after eating, follow me, "I am the good Shepherd".

Shepherding isn't the flashiest occupation that a typical year 12 student would quickly mention when asked "what will you do when you finish high school?" in fact, for the most part a lot of us don't see much of it at all. As a kid I remember seeing this show come on every Sunday morning about shepherding and that's as much as I'd been exposed to it. It wasn't until Sokha and I went on our honeymoon did I notice how gentle these animals were, and I was able to relate a lot of biblical illustrations this time around.

A number of things we misunderstand about shepherding in bible times:

• The Shepherd lead from the front. By calling and training his sheep with a particular call, they know who they are responding to, and will not follow a stranger.
• The Shepherd protects and takes care of his sheep. By making a clearway, building dams in streams for the sheep to drink, attending to their requirement for aid, (injuries, sickness etc.
• He knew his sheep individually by name and took a stock take every night before laying down.
• And he lays down his life for his sheep. WOW.

The thing is Jesus is a good shepherd, and he actually wants us to emulate his leadership qualities. Are we shepherds, are you leading people to improve their life quality? If you are, do you follow the four points above?

It's amazing how God called two leaders in particular to take up training first as shepherds before he gave them the reins to lead his people. The first is Moses, and the second David who went from shepherd to king.

When one of the sheep was lost, the shepherd would search high and low for the lost sheep. The shepherd would call out in his distinctive call, and the lost sheep would respond as it heard his masters voice. When the shepherd found it's lost sheep, he removes him from the bush, or crevice under a rock, and celebrates all the way back to the pen.

So it is with us, our main objective is to lead the soul back. Not jump on an All-Terrain bike, get the herd dogs and force them back to the fold. We must allow them to get familiar with the distinctive voice, and allow them to call our for the master. We then may respond by leading them through until such time they can identify the voice for themselves.

Shalom,

Dave