Dear Weekly Readers!
In every congregation I have been blessed with the
opportunity to visit around the world in the past few years, I have noticed the
beautiful little children. They are so
precious in the Lord’s sight. Often
times we as adults view them as the future of the church. This is in part true, but it also falls very
short. The children are the church
today! All of those that believe in
Jesus by faith are in the one true church of God! Children were so loved by Jesus that He said
in Mattthew 19:14 …suffer little children, and forbid them
not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Please enjoy the following article
which you could share with the children in your churches or Sunday
Schools.
Have a Blessed Week! John
Christians
Are Like Sheep
Hello
to God's little lambs and the sheep of His pasture.
In
the 23rd Psalm, David writes about the Lord being his Shepherd. We are so much
like sheep, it's amazing.
When sheep have a good shepherd (as Jesus is ours), they do very well. When
sheep have a shepherd who does not give them the best care, they have many
troubles.
Let's
see how we are like sheep.
~ Sheep cannot take care of themselves. They
need to be given proper care every day. We
need to keep close to Christ every day and there we will receive the best care.
Very often we forget to be near to God and then we experience problems;
sometimes they are small, but many times they are big.
~ A sheep farmer must put his own special mark on
his sheep. He does this by cutting a certain design into the ear of each sheep.
I'm sure this is not a pleasant task, but it makes the farmer feel a great
responsibility for his sheep. They are his and no one can mistake them. God
knows each of you His children and He has set His mark on you. Jesus says He is
the Shepherd of the sheep and He would lay His life down for us. We know that
He did give His life for us on the cross.
~ A shepherd will go to great lengths for
his sheep. He will do whatever needs to be done for his sheep all day long, and
all night long, too. A shepherd sleeps lightly (as a mother does with her children,
ready to hear their needs of the night) and he hears his sheep if they have a
need in the night. Jesus never slumbers or sleeps as He is always looking out
for each of His children—His sheep and lambs.
~ A good shepherd gives his sheep the
best food, in grains, fields for grazing, and clean water. Sheep will not drink
fast-flowing water. They prefer the water to be calm. Our good Shepherd Jesus
does the same for us. He wants us to be taken care of well. We shall not be in
need of anything
when Jesus is in our life.
~ Sheep will not lie down and rest if
they are troubled by bugs or if they are hungry. They are very restless. When a
Christian has sin in their life, that person will not be at peace. I pray that
we will always hunger to learn more of our Shepherd. That is a good hunger.
~ Sheep need special oils put
all over their heads to ward off disease from flies and other insects that give
them much discomfort. We need the anointing of the Holy Spirit daily to keep our
minds on Jesus. When we have the Holy Spirit, we can keep the devil away. He
will always try to bother us, just as flies that will constantly trouble sheep.
~ Sheep have a tendency to follow one
another. If a naughty sheep finds a way out of its pasture, the other sheep
will follow. This is much like people. If someone is with their friends and is
doing wrong, very often the friends follow along and do not correct the wrong.
We must be careful to avoid this.
~ A farmer always leads his sheep;
he does not chase them or beat them from behind. Often he will have a dog to
help him to make sure everyone follows. There are times when a naughty sheep
tries to run away and needs to be brought back. This is a picture of God's children
following the Lord our Shepherd, and the ones who leave the flock because of temptations
to do things that take us away from Jesus.
~A good shepherd provides good shelter for
his sheep during bad weather and for the winter months. Our Good Shepherd Jesus
is our shelter from the storms or tough times in life. We can go to Him in
prayer and be comforted and feel His protection.
~Sheep are some of the dumbest animals on earth. I
am not saying you children are dumb! What I am
getting at is this: sheep need full time
care and keeping to
do well, and so do people. We always need to be guided back to what is
right. If we do wrong, we learn lessons the hard way. We have to always deal
with our mind
that thinks to do or say many things. Our mind can think
not-so-good thoughts and it can also think many good thoughts. We need our mind
to go through each day; this is a gift from God. We so badly need Jesus to lead
us in our thoughts and actions to stay in the "green pastures" that
He would have for us. I pray that you children will listen to your Shepherd
Jesus and let Him lead you on your journey of life. He will never lead you on a
wrong path, but always the RIGHT ones.
Thus
shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the
house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye my flock, the flock
of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 34:30-31
I
pray that God will protect your minds and bodies from sin and harm as each of
you children go to school. Do your best; you'll be blessed.
