Wednesday, December 19, 2018


Lessons From the Barnyard
By Jeannine Sawall

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."

Do you ever wonder why the Lord calls us His sheep? There are a lot of lessons we can learn about our Christian walk from the barnyard if we just stop and look for a moment. Sheep are animals who long to be with their Shepherd. When he calls, they respond. They love to be in community with other sheep and don’t often wander from the flock. They are content to just sit and graze on the lush grass and will only move on when the Shepherd calls to the flock. And a sheep desires to be clean. They try to avoid the thickets that will catch in their wool and entrap them. If they get mud on them, they do whatever they have to to clean the mud off their wool, unlike a pig, who likes to stay and wallow in the mud.  

As Christians, it would do our spiritual lives good if we adopted “sheeply” behaviors. When the Lord calls, do we respond immediately? Do we recognize His voice above all others? Do we long to be in the company of other believers encouraging one another? And if we have wandered off, do we respond as soon as we hear His voice and hurry back? Do we find His Word nourishment on a daily basis and contentedly take in the lessons He’s teaching us until He moves us forward? And how do we deal with the sin in our lives? Do we avoid the temptations that easily ensnare and entangle us, or do we head straight for the thicket? When we find ourselves in sin, do we casually excuse it with the phrase "Everyone sins!" and continue in the filth like a pig, or do we do whatever it takes to turn 180 degrees, remove the dirt from us and continue to sin no more? 

The Lord calls us His sheep for a good reason. They provide a vivid image on how to respond to our Lord. Sheep long to be with each other and the Shepherd more than anything else. And even if we wander, the Shepherd comes after us, wanting us to respond to His promptings. We need to go no further than a barnyard to learn these spiritual lessons. The Shepherd is calling to us; it's our privilege to respond like a sheep to His voice.

GOING DEEPER:
1.  How do you respond when you hear the Good Shepherd’s voice calling you?
2.  What do you do when you find yourself in sin?

FURTHER READING:

Jeannine is a wife and mother of four great boys. She works in the property management business. Jeannine serves in several behind-the-scenes ministries at Oakwood and has a heart for those who are grieving.