John 10:1-11 (NLT) - “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won‘t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don‘t know his voice.“ Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn‘t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief‘s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”

Psalm 23 takes on its fullest meaning in light of John 10 where we learn that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep. He is our shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture. Furthermore, he is a wonderful shepherd. He doesn’t come behind us and drive us with the shepherd’s rod to lead us. He goes ahead of us and leads us with just the sound of His voice. How can we practically live a whole, satisfying, and abundant life? It’s as simple as recognizing, listening too, and following the voice of Jesus in our lives. In this world there are so many competing influences that seek to rob us of the abundant life in Christ. The more we grow in awareness of His voice in our own lives, the more we will be able to help others do the same. May the voice of our shepherd be louder than any other voice, for every child of God is a sheep in His pasture that can and does hear His voice.

1) Spend some time praying that you would become more sensitive to the voice of Jesus in your life. Pray that your response would be to trust, yield, and follow the voice of Jesus that leads us away from all that is harmful and into all that is good.
2) For encouragement, watch the full video about “An english shepherd” - https://vimeo.com/66940018

-CR