The Voice Of The Shepherd

In St. John, Chapter 10, Jesus spoke saying that He is the “Good Shepherd” and the “Good Shepherd” giveth his life for the sheep” and that “He is the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved”.

At night the shepherd would lead his flock into the sheepfold. The sheepfold was usually an enclosure made of rocks, without a door opening. In order to protect his flock at night, the shepherd or a porter would guard the flock by lying across the opening. It was not unusual for several flocks to be sheltered together in the same fold. When the shepherds would come to gather their sheep, they would call their sheep to assemble them. Each sheep would recognize his own master’s voice.

Thieves and robbers could never enter through the door.  Instead, they would have to climb over the wall and enter the fold through deception. If they did get in, they would never get the sheep to follow them, for the sheep follows only the voice of their shepherd. Since false shepherds can never lead the sheep away, they must steal them away.

As a Christian, do you recognize the voice of your shepherd?  He is your Pastor. He is there to guide you and to help you navigate through situations and circumstances in your life. He will lead you beside the still waters and walk with you through the difficult valleys. When your Pastor speaks to you, recognize that it is he who is speaking and not another.

In this world that we are living in, there are so many different voices in the church. Everyone has their opinion regarding the direction that the church should go. The more we trust our Pastor, the more we will be able to understand and recognize when he is speaking.

As Christians, let’s develop an ear to hear our Pastor’s voice so that we may be blessed and prosper as we grow in Christ. This is why it’s important to submit ourselves to the leadership that the Lord has placed in our lives, so that he may give an account for our soul. When your Pastor speaks, you will distinguish the difference between your Pastor’s voice and others. A Pastor is one of the greatest assets that a church and the saints of God can have in their lives.

Posted via email from Solid Rock

You Can't Get There From Here!

My son, Jonathan and I took a father and son trip to the out west to visit Zion Park and the Grand Canyon. We flew into Las Vega and rented a car. We were following a map in our attempt to get to the Grand Canyon and we decided to take short cut, but ultimately got lost. We stopped at a small country store to ask an elderly gentleman how to reach our destination and his response was a simple, yet profound one: You can’t get there from here.

Before you can begin your journey, you must have direction to arrive at your destination. Without direction you will only waste valuable time and money trying to go somewhere without understanding how to get there. There is nothing as frustrating as going somewhere to find out later, that you cannot get there from here.

When a captain of a ship starts out he is not expected to sail the exact course he has drawn on the chart. The sea is not that accommodating. He knows there will be unexpected events on the voyage. We all have had to take a detour from the main road to get to our destination while traveling. Life can be very challenging and unpredictable at times. If we plan to be successful in life and in min­istry, we need direction to help guide us through the difficult times we will undoubtedly encounter.

When you don’t know where you are going any road will do. Most people go throughout life without a clue of what to do or where to go.  The question that most people are asking is: How do I get there from here. There will always be detours, unforeseen crises and interruptions in life, but we must stay on course.

Your core values are like guardrails on the highway of life. They not only help you stay on the right path, but they also help guide you to what is really important.

What are your core values? What are the things that are most important to you? Your faith, your family, your church, and your relationship with your God are the values that will guide you through difficult situation in your life

Posted via email from Solid Rock