A sheep in the care of my Shepherd

Sheep have a reputation for being among the least intelligent of animals. Now, perhaps they're not as unintelligent as they seem (check out this article), but they're certainly not bright. They definitely aren't anywhere near as smart as humans.
Sheep stick together in a herd, and what one sheep does, the others generally do. They do have a tendency to wander off alone, and aren't always good at recognizing danger. However, they can remember fellow sheep and a few human faces (see the article linked above). When a sheep has one shepherd for its whole life, it learns to recognize the voice of that shepherd (see this for a bit more on that).

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The Bible often compares God to a shepherd, and his people to sheep. This was a familiar image to people living in both Old and New Testament times. King David himself was a shepherd as a boy (1 Samuel 16:11).
When Jesus was born, some of the first people to see him were shepherds (Luke 2:15-16).

Israel (Jacob) called God his shepherd. In blessing his son Joseph, he said "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm--may he bless these boys." (Genesis 28:15-16)
Moses compared God's people to sheep: "Moses said to the Lord, 'May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd'" (Numbers 27:15-17). (Joshua became that shepherd for God's people.)

The Psalms have many references to God as our shepherd, which makes sense since David wrote many of them.
Psalm 100:3 says, "Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture."
In Psalm 119:176 the psalmist confesses, "I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands."
And of course, the entirety of Psalm 23 is a metaphor for our life as sheep, being led by God, our shepherd. He provides everything we need, he protects us from harm, he corrects us when we stray, he is by our side through the darkest parts of life, and he will bless us to our life's end and beyond.

Several other passages in the Old Testament reference sheep and shepherds. See, for example, Isaiah 40:11 and 53:6-7 and Jeremiah 50:6.

In the New Testament, the best-known passage about sheep and shepherds is found in John 10. Not only does Jesus call himself the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep, but he is the gate to the sheep pen--the only way into that place of safety and rest. Anyone who tries to get into the pen any way other than the gate "is a thief and a robber." (See verses 1-2, 11, 14-15 especially.)
(For other New Testament references to God as our shepherd and us as his sheep, see Matthew 2:6, 9:36, Hebrews 13:20, 1 Peter 2:25, 5:2-4, Revelation 7:17.)

Perhaps being compared to sheep isn't the most flattering comparison. But if you think about it from a spiritual standpoint, it makes sense. Without God's direction (especially through the words of Scripture) we wouldn't know where to go and what we should and shouldn't do. Without his voice calling us to follow him, we would easily be led astray by other distractions around us. (We often are distracted as it is!) God provides everything we need, protects us from harm and evil, and loves us as his children. We might not even know when we're in danger because as our shepherd, God keeps those evil things away from us.

He calls us by name, just as shepherds call their sheep. He knows all our faults and still loves us and cares for us. And when faced with the ultimate adversary--Satan--he gladly laid down his life so that we could live.

When I consider all that, being a sheep isn't so bad after all. I'll readily admit that I'm not always very bright. I make some really stupid decisions, and I often get distracted away from my Shepherd's voice. But he's always there to bring me back to the fold, to heal my wounds, and to remind me how much he loves me.

Now, on a rather humorous note... check out this video!

Theology: What I believe about God

The subject of God fills books.  There are way too many different false gods in this world, but I believe in the only true God: the God of the Christian Bible.  The Bible is all about God: who he is, what he has done, and how much he loves us.  What are the most important things about God?  That's what I'd like to cover in this post.

I believe in God not because of anything I can do, but because he has given me faith to believe in him.

He created the universe and everything in it, including all people, which gives every person inherent worth as a creation of God.

He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere at the same time.

He is three Persons in one God.  I can't explain how this is, but I know it by faith.  God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  God the Son is Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate--man and God, both at the same time, neither more or less of the other.  As man, he was able to die on the cross; as God, he lived a sinless life, and therefore his death counted for the sins of all people-- and he didn't stay dead!  He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will return someday to bring all those who believe in him to live with him in heaven for eternity.

God the Holy Spirit came into my heart at my baptism, and it is he who gives me faith.  The Holy Spirit gives me the ability to live a life that is obedient to God; without the gift of faith no good works I do are good at all.  But no works do anything to help me earn salvation.  In fact, I cannot do anything at all to "earn" salvation.  It is a gift.

Because he loves me, God has saved me from sin, death, and the power of Satan.  He has given this gift freely, without expecting anything from me.  He gives me faith to believe in him, and as a result of believing in God and what Jesus has done for me, I am forgiven of all the bad things I do, and I am reconciled to God, and can look forward to eternity with him in heaven--all because of his grace to me.

Now, it is possible to reject the gifts of faith, salvation and eternal life.  Many people have chosen to do so, and they will have to endure the consequences of that choice.  But God freely offers the gift of faith to all people.

It's important to remember that we can't fully understand everything about God.  If we could understand him completely, he wouldn't be God!  Our minds are finite, and as humans we simply don't have the mental capacity to understand the enormity that is God.  We can understand aspects of who he is and what he does, but it is not for us to understand him fully.  That's okay.  That's why he gives us faith, because he knows we don't have the capacity for complete understanding.  We just accept the things we can't understand by faith.

The fact that I believe in and trust in God doesn't mean I don't have questions.  I struggle with why God allows so many horrible things to happen in the world.  I don't know why he does.  But I do know this:  God has a plan for all of humanity that is WAY bigger than I can comprehend.  I know that I fit into that plan, and I know what the outcome will be for me and all believers: HEAVEN. :)  What happens between now and then is not for me to know.  That's God's business.  I know that he's completely good, and that he has a good and perfect plan.  I trust that by faith, and leave the rest up to him.


I could write so much more about who God is to me personally, and what he's done in just my life.  It's amazing that such a big God would pay so much attention to, and heap so much love on, just me.  But he does.  And he's amazing. :)

I guess the most important thing about this awesome God of mine is that he loves you.  He loves me.  He loves all of humanity, far more than we could ever imagine.  In fact, the Bible says that God IS love.

Just trust that.


Linking with: Upward Not Inward, Deep Roots at Home, Raising Homemakers, We are THAT Family, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Beautiful--yes, you!

Welcome to visitors from the A to Z Challenge!  Please leave a comment to let me know you're here, and check out other posts that pique your interest!  Tuesdays are Titus 2 Tuesdays at Living in the Light.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Such is the phrase.

What beholder?  Who decides what is beautiful?

A spouse or lover?  A parent?  An artist?  A creator?

Christ calls you beautiful.  Christ, whose bride is the Church--and that includes all those who believe in Him.
Christ, who loves us all more than we could ever imagine.

God Himself, our Father, the ultimate caring parent.
God, the Creator of the world, the designer of all things beautiful--

He decides what is beautiful.

And He has called you Beautiful.

You, beautiful one.  You are beautiful in the eyes of the only Beholder who really matters.

So tell someone they're beautiful today.  And if they blush and say bashfully, "No, I'm not really," tell them, "Yes, you are--because God made you and He thinks you're beautiful."

Then go look in the mirror and tell the same thing to your own beautiful face!

Linking with:  Far Above Rubies, Growing Home, Time-Warp Wife