Daily Devotional
We Are Sheep—and That’s a Problem

October 20, 2020

Ponder This

God calls us His sheep, but like sheep, we have a tendency to get away from God, our Shepherd. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way...” (Isaiah 53:6). A sheep doesn't have a good sense of direction; it gets easily lost. A sheep will browse here, nibble there, while getting further and further away from the flock, the fold, the shepherd, and not even realize it. Then it's out there, lost.

It can't find its way home. Cows come back to the barn, horses to the stable; and did you ever try to get rid of a cat? You’ve heard of a homing pigeon, but never a homing sheep. Sheep don't come back on their own. They have to be sought. They have to be brought. They must have a shepherd to lead them home. That’s just the nature of sheep.

Worse yet, a sheep is a sitting duck for predators. It has no natural defense mechanism. It can’t defend itself.

All that is true of us as well. That’s the sheep nature in us. Do you see what trouble we’re in without following our Shepherd? Apart from Him, we’re lost and in danger. We’ll never find our way home. The Holy Spirit must lead us.

Practice This

How grateful we should be for our Shepherd! Because “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young” (Isaiah 40:11). Jesus, your Shepherd, feeds you, gathers you, carries you, and leads you. What must you do? Be alert for your Shepherd’s voice today. Listen and follow where He leads.