From the gospel of John, Chapter 10 verse 4. (The New English Testament in Modern English)
‘And when he has brought all his own flock outside, he goes in front of them himself, and the sheep follow him…’
Have you ever seen farmers trying to drive a gaggle of geese from one location to another? They go behind the geese, don’t they? Compare this to shepherds who lead their sheep. They go before them, and the sheep simply follow.
Now Jesus is our shepherd, and we are His sheep. He does not drive us, but He leads us. Legalistic people drive others. Jesus leads. He goes in front of us. He is not like the sergeant who says, “Men, cross this river. I’ll cover you from behind,” because he suspects that the river is infested with crocodiles.
Jesus is not that kind of leader. He goes in front of us. He doesn’t run away when troubles come, He is steadfast in His care for me and for you.
In the Old Testament, the Lord led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. Do you know how He appeared back then? He appeared in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Where was that pillar? It was in front of them. In fact, the pillar of cloud shaded them from the hot desert sun so that they were kept cool during the day. At night, when the desert got very cold, our Lord, the pillar of fire, gave them light as well as warmth. Whether He was the pillar of cloud or fire, He went in front of them.
As long as they followed Him, the Israelites did not have to worry about anything. The Lord took care of all their needs. He gave them water when they were thirsty, and bread and meat when they were hungry. Their clothes did not wear out, and grew with them, and their feet did not swell. They were kept in good health throughout the 40 years of their wandering in the wilderness.
As long as you allow Him to lead you, all your needs will be taken care of. He is your provider, healer, counsellor, font of wisdom, righteousness and sanctification.
He is everything you need Him to be!
All your needs will be taken care of when you follow Jesus, your shepherd.
To know more about Jesus please come and join in fellowship with us at 11 Victoria Street, Littleport, CB6 1LU, every Sunday morning from 10 am until 12 noon.
God bless you.