FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
“The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams.”
Psalm 23:1-2 (NLT2)
OVERLOAD: OBEDIENCE
As believers, the Bible doesn’t describe us as powerful bears or dangerous lions. Instead, we are called “sheep.” Sheep are pretty dumb creatures, they scare pretty easy, and they tend to want to follow something.
In 2005, a group of Turkish shepherds had left their flocks to have breakfast. While they were gone, one sheep jumped to its death off a cliff. The other sheep decided to follow and 1500 sheep jumped off the cliff. Only 450 of the sheep actually died because as the pile of dead sheep got bigger and bigger, the ones jumping later landed on a soft cushion of fluffy dead sheep.
Phillip Keller points out, “Sometimes stubborn sheep will not wait for the clear, pure water that the shepherd is leading them to. They stop to drink from the polluted potholes along the trail, contaminated with the manure and urine of previous flocks. It satisfies their thirst for the moment, but it will eventually riddle them with parasites and disease. It’s the price they pay for instant gratification and not following the shepherd to clear water.”
Sometimes we are like the stubborn sheep and we don’t want to listen to Jesus or obey Jesus. We just stop and pollute our lives with ungodly choices that eventually cost us our spiritual health. If we are going to experience the type of rest God promises we must learn to listen and obey His voice. When was the last time you clearly disobeyed God? Did that disobedience lead to greater peace in the long run? Ask God to give you ears to listen to Him and a heart to obey Him today.
