“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:1-5 ESV)
In today’s world, many voices compete for our attention:
- the opinions of others
- the values of our culture
- our personal insecurities
- spiritual warfare & temptations
- even our own competing desires
All of these voices and more compete with Jesus’ voice for our attention. In John’s gospel we’re reminded that we relate to Jesus just as the sheep respond to the shepherd.
“…he calls his own sheep by name..” Jesus knows us each personally and intimately and is calling out to us.
“…he leads them out… he goes before them, and the sheep follow him…” Jesus goes before us and asks us to simply follow where He is leading.
“for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” We should recognize and respond to the voice of Jesus to the exclusion of other voices in our lives.
Every day we make decisions concerning whose voice we will listen to. Who’s voice are you listening to? Are you tuning into Jesus’ voice or other voices? How can you better recognize and respond to the voice of Christ?
Pastor Mike Says 