He Knows His Sheep
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
In far off Syria some shepherds still maintain the old practice of calling their sheep by name. An American, doubting that each sheep would respond to its name when called by the shepherd, insisted the shepherd demonstrate.
“I wish you would call just one or two,” he said.
The shepherd called, “Carl.”
The sheep stopped eating and looked up.
“Come here,” commanded the shepherd.
The sheep came and looked up into the shepherd’s face.
He called another and another, and there they all stood looking up into the shepherd’s face.
“How can you tell them apart?” asked the American.
“Oh, there are no two alike. See, that sheep’s toes are in a little; this one is squint-eyed; and that one has a black mark on its nose.” In fact, every one of those sheep had its own marking.
I suppose that is the way the Lord distinguishes His sheep. There is a man that is covetous, he wants to grasp the whole world. He needs a shepherd to keep down that spirit. There is a woman who stirs up the whole neighborhood by her gossiping. She too needs the Shepherd to keep her tongue from deceit and her lips from speaking guile. There is a father whose cursing is damning his reputation. Does he not need the Shepherd’s attention?
There isn’t a man or woman without some failing, some marking by reason of sin, which makes it easy for the Lord to identify him by his own besetting sin.
In far off Syria some shepherds still maintain the old practice of calling their sheep by name. An American, doubting that each sheep would respond to its name when called by the shepherd, insisted the shepherd demonstrate.
“I wish you would call just one or two,” he said.
The shepherd called, “Carl.”
The sheep stopped eating and looked up.
“Come here,” commanded the shepherd.
The sheep came and looked up into the shepherd’s face.
He called another and another, and there they all stood looking up into the shepherd’s face.
“How can you tell them apart?” asked the American.
“Oh, there are no two alike. See, that sheep’s toes are in a little; this one is squint-eyed; and that one has a black mark on its nose.” In fact, every one of those sheep had its own marking.
I suppose that is the way the Lord distinguishes His sheep. There is a man that is covetous, he wants to grasp the whole world. He needs a shepherd to keep down that spirit. There is a woman who stirs up the whole neighborhood by her gossiping. She too needs the Shepherd to keep her tongue from deceit and her lips from speaking guile. There is a father whose cursing is damning his reputation. Does he not need the Shepherd’s attention?
There isn’t a man or woman without some failing, some marking by reason of sin, which makes it easy for the Lord to identify him by his own besetting sin.