None Like YOU

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Why are we surprised when pagans behave in an “Unholy” manner, all while the audience applauds and awards the evil on display?

Should we be repulsed that a song that glamorizes infidelity in order to “liberate queer joy” is honored, and its artists celebrated for their debased lifestyles? Yes.

Should we also be surprised by it? No. Not at all.

When I view some of our culture’s modern performances (many of which I can’t even stomach all the way through), the over-arching emotion it triggers is a deep-seated sadness. The kind of “joy” they describe is indeed queer. And being deceived into embracing a lie is called bondage, not liberation. To witness the level of depravity that a human being is capable of is truly heart breaking.

But, it is not surprising.

Without Someone to rescue us from ourselves we would all head down the path of self-destruction. Our vices will vary, but without Divine intervention the end result will always the same: destruction.

Scripture and history bear witness to this fact.

Jesus tells a story (Mtt.12 & Lk. 11) about a man who was delivered from an evil spirit. The spirit decides he wants to return to his former abode - only this time he brings seven friends that are more evil than himself, and they join him in the repossession party. Jesus noted that as a result this man’s current state was much worse than the former one, and that this is what it will look like in an evil generation.

If you read the parable you will see how Jesus goes from talking about one man’s house to predicting the state of a whole generation.

Messianic rabi, Jonathan Cahn, details the return of what he calls “the dark trinity” to a civilization who willfully turns away from God. In his book, The Return of The Gods (little g gods) he parallels the nation of Israel with our culture and identifies the three primary gods that they embraced when they foolishly turned from the God who rescued them, cleaned them up, and set them apart to be His people.

Cahn identifies this dark trinity and details their main objectives:

The Possessor - whose name is Baal (“owner”) - is the first entity who shows up to drive God out from among the people and persuade them to forget their God (Jer.23:27). His objective is to paganize God’s children (the cleansed house/man) by systematically removing Him from every influential aspect of life (the public square, homes, education, etc.).

The Enchantress - whose name is Ashtoreth (1Ki.11:5) - was known as the harlot goddess of sexual immorality. Her objective is to sexualize the culture by introducing them to pornography, removing sexual boundaries, and destroying/redefining biblical marriage. The spirit of this goddess transforms men into women and women into men. (Did you think the transgender lie and gender confusion was something new?)

The Destroyer - whose name is Molech (Lev.18:21, 2Ki.23:10) - was a god who required child sacrifices. Infants were burned alive to appease this god.


Is history repeating itself in our culture? Are we the generation Jesus was talking about as we witness the repossessing of a house once swept clean by the delivering grace of God? I think the answer is glaringly obvious.

But these gods don't have power over ours.

“Who is like You, oh Lord, among the gods?” (Ex.15:11a)

“Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours… You alone are God.” (Psa.86:8,10b)

God has no more given up on our culture than He did on Israel. He is still the one and only, capital “G,” God who rescues His children when they cry out to Him for deliverance.

While we witness “sin abounding,” we need not let it overwhelm us with discouragement. Why? Because of what the second part of the verse says - “grace does much more abound” (Rms.5:20). What this means is that although we are witnessing unrestrained sin, multiplying and expanding, the amount of grace available supersedes it. The Greek word describes this grace as “something that is growing out of measure, beyond proportion, and out of its banks to a far-stretched extreme.”

This goes right along with the fact that the Bible says that in the last days that the knowledge of God will increase, and that the wise will understand and be purified by it? (Dan.12:4,9-10)

Perfect timing, considering that we live in the Information Age. Before the 1900’s knowledge doubled every 100 years. Today it doubles daily.

Jesus said that before the end comes His Gospel will reach every nation. It is predicted that by 2043 the Bible will be translated into every language.

The call has not changed.

Jesus sent His disciples into a pagan world, and with the power of His Spirit they were to drive out the pagan gods by proclaiming the truth of the Gospel.

Christian, we carry that torch! The Spirit of the living God dwells within us, enabling us to drive out the pagan gods with the Light of the Gospel.

Christ is the only one Who can liberate the captives so that they can experience genuine joy.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Light That Restores

(by Lorie Codispoti)

When was the last time you experienced a power outage?

Living through a natural disaster is challenging enough, but the prolonged power outages that can result only add to the intense level of mental stress.

We have experienced many power outages out here in the boonies. They have come in every season, so being prepared for their unwanted visitation is very important. While it may be fun to light candles and camp out next to the wood stove for a night or two in the middle of a snowstorm, most of us are not equipped to handle a prolonged event.

Why?

Because power outages are not limited to the physical realm.

Unpredictable spiritual storms can take our Power out too. And if we’re not prepared, we can be overwhelmed by the darkness. The question isn’t whether or not the storms will come; the question is how will we respond when the Light goes out?

Think about some of your go-tos for relief when you feel physically, emotionally or psychologically drained (the very definition of stress). We all have them.

We rely on certain mechanisms to help us relieve the stress that accompanies this life. My husband enjoys going outside and splitting wood when he is stressed. Our son also enjoys splitting wood when he comes to visit. He also enjoys playing his guitar, and opportunities to sit at a coffee shop with a good book. My daughter would always bake or escape into a good book when she was younger. Now she finds that hiking with her dog helps to recharge her batteries. And me? I can literally feel the strain ease up and melt away when I can go out on a long walk or escape into something creative.

Goodness knows we all need help when it comes to relieving the stressors that plague us in this life. When you find a healthy and beneficial way to stave off the negative effects of stress it can be a huge blessing.

But, here’s the thing about those go-to stress relievers: They don’t last.

Your short-term stress relief is not meant to carry you through a long-term power outage. It will not see you through the storms that throw your life off course.

So, if finding relief isn’t the key, what is?

Light!

Every artisan knows how critical light is to their design.

There’s a scene in a movie I like, where a famous architect is trying to reconnect with his estranged son - who is also making a name for himself in the architectural world. Before he dies, the father wants to pass on the secret to his success…

“A truly great structure, one that is meant to stand the tests of time never disregards its environment. A serious architect takes that into account. He knows that if he wants presence, he must consult with nature. He must be captivated by the light. Always the light.”

Believers, Jesus is our Light! (“I am the light of the world…” Jn.8:12)

We too need to recognize and harness the source of Light if we hope to be built into a structure that reflects it (1Pet.2:5). If we’re not captivated by the Light resident in God’s Son, then we will succumb to the darkness. Our short term, go-to mechanisms for relief are simply not enough to stay the course and weather the storms that can take us by surprise.

Jesus’ light is no secret, however. He’s given every believer the access code to punch into the keypad of our hearts when the power goes out. Part of that code includes two actions:

1. COME (“Come away with Me…and rest” (Mk.6:31-32) / “Come to Me…I will give you rest” (Mtt.11:28).)
Both of these passages imply a kind of relief that provides much more than a short term recharge. When we come to Jesus He restores us. His Light replenishes what the darkness attempts to steal.

2. ABIDE “If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (Jn.8:31-32).)
This abiding is a continual, ongoing thing. In Psalm 91 the writer says this type of abiding provides a refuge and fortress. Notice, also, that abiding in Jesus’ word enables us to discern truth and make us free.

For the past four years my disability has prevented me from exercising my go-to relievers. I pray that I will be able to enjoy them again one day, but during this prolonged power outage I have discovered the restorative benefits of coming away with Christ and abiding in His presence. And the beauty of His Light never ceases to captivate my heart.

The next time your power goes out, I encourage you to turn off the short-term relief and turn on the Light that will restore your soul.

Remember, it’s "always the Light!"

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Beautiful Feet

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Is there anything more precious than baby feet?

I’ve lived a long time, and I’ve seen some not-so-cute babies in my day, but not a one of them has ever possessed anything less than adorable toes attached to precious little feet. I know this to be true because I’m pretty much known for unwrapping every layer until I see those tiny toes wiggle.

God likes feet too!

Not only did He design them, but He describes the “feet of those who bring good news” as “beautiful” in the book of Isaiah (52:7).

I can’t help but think about how many times Mary must have wondered about the tiny feet that kicked inside her womb. Did she pray for those wee little feet and ponder the many miles her Son would walk along their dusty roads in order to share His “good news” to the world? Mary knew that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but she had no idea that one day he would be so hated by the people around Him that they would drive metal stakes into the beautiful feet that she cherished.

I wonder if the immensely valuable gifts of the Maji came to mind as Mary watched her beloved Son die. I imagine she understood the significance of the gold (representing Christ’s kingship on Earth), and the significance of the frankincense (symbolizing His deity). But, what about the myrrh? It symbolizes death. She had no way of knowing what this prophetic gift represented as she watched Jesus take His first steps and learn to run and play. I imagine she was perplexed at what was happening at the cross, but I can also see how the Lord would have used the reminder of these gifts to comfort her heart with His unending faithfulness, and the assurance that each of His promises would be fulfilled.

Centuries later, another mother was moved by the tiny feet of a baby - only this baby never had the chance to live outside of its mother’s womb.

You may not be familiar with the name Virginia Evers, but I bet you'd recognize the gold lapel pin she designed. While preparing for a pro-life march in San Diego (on the first anniversary of Roe v. Wade in 1974), Virginia saw a photograph of the tiny feet of a 10-week-old fetus. Unable to shake the image from her mind, she told her husband that the precious little feet of that baby should be the symbol of the pro-life movement. A few years later she designed the Precious Feet lapel pin, which is measured to the size of a 10 week old fetus. To this day it remains the International Pro-Life Symbol, and people have been wearing it in solidarity of aborted babies ever since.

The day is coming when the feet of Mary’s Son will again walk on the earth. However, this time it will not be as a babe coming to proclaim salvation to the lost. It will be as the reigning King who comes to judge and destroy all that was lost when Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden.

What about the gold, frankensence, and myrrh that was so incredibly valuable the first time Christ came to the Earth?

They’re mentioned again in Revelation 18 - only this time the mourners are not the ones who loved the Messiah and followed Him to the cross. The three things so highly valued in Jesus day are listed among the things the modern day merchants will extort to accommodate their lavish lifestyles. But, everything they live for will mean nothing when it is all destroyed “in one hour” (vs.17). Everything of material value will burn, and this time the mourners will be those who rejected the greatest treasure the world has ever known - Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Listen!

Can you hear it? The pitter patter of little feet?

However, the closer these feet get the mightier the sound. And that’s because the once defenseless, fragile feet of every aborted and murdered baby has been transformed into a mighty army, empowered by the King who rescued them. They are following Him into the battle that will destroy all His enemies.

These are the tiny feet that will dance with every other Christ follower on Heaven’s streets of gold.

That’s right. One of the most valuable things in our world becomes the pavement that resides under the “beautiful feet” that will forever celebrate the good news of our Great King.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

O Holy Night

 (by Lorie Codispoti)

What’s your favorite Christmas carol?

It’s no secret that O Holy Night is my all time favorite. (I’ll paste the lyrics below in the comments.)

I love everything about this song - from its lyrics and music to the incredible story of its origin. And just when I thought I couldn’t love it any more, I find something to add to my list.

It came as I read this line…

"For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”

This is a song about an event that takes place in the darkness of a world that has long been filled with “sin and error pinning.” Yet, there’s something that breaks through the darkness. It’s something that takes me all the way back to creation, where we’re told that the Earth was formless, void and dark. There was nothing but darkness, until … “Let there be light.” (Gen.1:3)

Here’s the thing: the sun, moon, and stars weren’t even created until the fourth day. So what kind of Light manifested itself to separate the day from the night for the first three days? Easy. It was God Himself. “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (1Jn.1:15).

The pre incarnate Christ - the third person of the trinity - was the Father’s agent in the very creation of our world. He made it all. Then centuries later, the incarnate Christ confirmed that He is “the light of the world” (Jn.8:12).

Think about it.

A new and glorious morning - Light breaks through the darkness at both creation, and then at the miraculous incarnation.

And, as if that weren’t enough to illuminate your soul, get this:

The Bible, along with other historical records, indicates that for three hours in the middle of the day, an unnatural darkness fell over the whole land during the time that Jesus hung on the cross. This was a supernatural event, although some will try to disqualify the event by suggesting that the darkness was the result of a solar eclipse. But, a basic understanding of how solar eclipses work indicates that they never occur during a full moon and the crucifixion occurred during Passover, which always takes place during a full moon. Both NASA and NOAA testify that “the longest duration of a solar eclipse is just over 7.5 minutes.” Three hours of total darkness is outside of anything we’ve ever experienced. It was a supernatural occurrence.

However, the darkness doesn’t last.

“A new and glorious morn,” again, breaks through at the resurrection, when the Light of World overcame the darkness and sin's power over us was defeated.

But, there’s more to this “new and glorious morn.” It is a prophetic statement, pointing us to a dawn on the horizon.

In Revelation 1:14-16, John describes his vision of Christ by saying that His eyes are like a flame of fire and His countenance like the full strength of the sun (Rev.1:14&16). (This will be another supernatural display of Light unlike anything ever seen in our natural world.)

Matthew describes the return of the King this way, ““For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Mt.24:27). He also describes how a time of darkness will precede this event - like it did at creation and the crucifixion (Mt.24:29). He says that when Jesus returns in this flash of Light, “every eye shall see Him” (Rev.1:7). Everyone!

Luke describes this as a cataclysmic time of darkness that will enshrine the globe (Lk.21:8-28). The intense distress will cause hearts to fail as people are filled with terror. Every unbeliever will see Him, but their experience will bring with it a different kind of mourning (Rev.1:7).

The thing that makes this a holy “night divine” is not the darkness that precedes the events I’ve mentioned, but rather, the Light that penetrates and overcomes that darkness. This Light promises believers an everlasting morning - a perpetual Light so strong that there is coming a day when there will never be a need for the sun, moon, and stars (Rev.21:23). The full glory of our King will be unveiled and unending, and His Light will illuminate our world forever and ever and ever.

As you try to picture what this will be like, let the “thrill of Hope” fill your “weary soul.”

“Fall on you knees” and sing “sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus.”

May the sound of our voices echo throughout the land and “all within us praise His holy name.”

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Destructive Train

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Well, it appears that American Girl has jumped on the popular progressive train. They've exchanged what they used to represent (encouraging girls to embrace the joy and wonder of girlhood), and adopted a new philosophy. Their train now makes stops at stations where they entice and kidnap young girls, hoping to convince them to embrace their new agenda, which includes grooming girls into believing the myth that they can change their gender if they no longer feel comfortable being female.

This is child abuse!

Don't believe me? Research the stages that predators use to groom a child and you will find that more cars are being added as it rides the rails of an upside down agenda - one that conditions children to believe and accept a narrative that counters reality.

This warped locomotive runs on an unending supply of fuel, filled in the 1980’s by the author of modern day “queer theory” and her published work that promotes things like the idea that child porn should not be criminalized and cross generational sexual encounters should be normative, among other absurd things. (Thinking Sex by Gayle Reuben)

“Queer Theory, at its dark heart, is structurally pedophilic.” (James Lindsay)

Wake up, parents!

These are manipulative tactics. They're dressed up (literally) & served to every child forced to sit in their seat until the conductor feels they have been adequately brainwashed into spreading this false ideology.

There is no such thing as transgender. There is only male and female. We do not possess the biological power to transform into anything other than what we were created to be. You can manipulate (mutilate is more like it) your parts and play dress up all you want, but all that does is promote a confused, dystopian like world that is devoid of all reason - not to mention dark and hopeless.

Don’t support the lie!

It’s time to rescue the children and blow up this train. They should have never been forced to board confusion to begin with.

American Girl, you should be ashamed of yourself for selling out to the woke agenda of the left. When young girls bought tickets and boarded your train in years past, they used to enjoy their ride while reading about the wonderful adventures your literature provided. You captured the imagination and every passenger celebrated the wholesomeness of being a young girl in America.

Now you are masquerading under the guise of progress. But the reality is you’ve turned into a rolling series of destructive cars, all connected by a false ideology. It's one that seizes the minds of young girls and forces them to ride into a station filled with heartache and suffering.

This is the worst kind of child abuse and I hope that every parent will consider the cost before purchasing a ticket aimed at stripping children of their innocence and forcing them to face the kind of evil that is forged in the very fires of Hell itself.

Oh, by the way, American Girl...

Will you be changing your name? Seems to me that “American It” might be a more fitting pronoun for the new you.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Reflect Truth

(by Lorie Codispoti)

"Life is a pilgrimage of learning, a voyage of discovery in which our mistaken views are corrected, our distorted notions adjusted, our shallow opinions deepened, and some of our vast ignorances diminished." (John Stott)

I can still remember the traumatic moment I was told that if I kept eating peanut butter I’d turn into a peanut. It sounds silly, but I promise you my very young self was positively horrified. And because I believed the statement to be absolutely true it weighed on me, heavily. I wondered if I could reverse my fate by ceasing to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. But, was I too late? Had I now unintentionally joined the ranks of every other innocent child who had morphed into Dumbo treats?

All of us can relate to believing something to be true, only to discover that, for whatever reason, we were wrong. But how many of us are willing to put belief to the test?

To test a belief is to ask questions that have the power to correct our wrong thinking, adjust our distortions, deepen our shallow opinions, and diminish our ignorance. If truth is the standard by which we measure our beliefs then we must be willing to lay our misguided ideas of what truth is aside if they prove to be incorrect.

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines truth as “conformity to fact or reality.” I don’t get to have “my truth” and you yours. Truth is transcendent. It exists outside of my opinion, experience, and preference. If my belief lines up with what is objectively real then I can trust that it is true because truth corresponds, agrees with, and conforms to reality. It’s universal and consistent.

People can believe whatever they want. And they do. But simply believing something does not make it true. Humans don’t turn into peanuts because belief does not create reality, it reflects it.

When talking about what it looks like to image God, Anglican bishop, N.T. Wright notes that, "Humans are made to reflect the wise, loving Creator into His world... We are angled mirrors, designed to reflect creation’s praises to the Creator and the Creator’s wisdom into his creation.”

What reality are you reflecting?

Let us pilgrims position our mirrors correctly as we continue our voyage of discovery. We may find that we need to periodically reposition our reflection, as the storms of culture try to throw us off course, but that's a good thing. In fact, it’s the only way to reject the lie that we will be transformed into anything but the image of Christ, who is the very essence of Truth itself.

Peanuts, anyone?

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Trust The Teacher

(by Lorie Codispoti)

The art teacher handed everyone a large sheet of thick, white paper and a box of crayons. We were instructed to fill the canvas with color. Every square inch of white was to be covered with bright, bold colors. I remember spending a lot of time pressing the crayons hard and swirling little bits of color all over the page. When I finished I held up my masterpiece and felt a surge of satisfaction as I admired my work.

But, the project was only half finished.

I can still remember the horrible feeling that came over me as our teacher instructed each student to pick up their black crayon and use it to cover every speck of color on their picture. None of the bright colors were to show through the thick layer of black wax that was to overlay every canvas.

What? 

A collective gasp reverberated through the class. How could we possibly follow those horrifying instructions? The blackness would ruin every picture.

Our teacher was incredibly patient with each protesting student. She encouraged us to trust her, and promised that if we followed her instructions we would leave her class with a picture that was even more beautiful than the ones we were holding. One by one she persuaded us, and we worked until the black crayons were the smallest ones in our box. Every desk now housed a black canvas, along with a despondent student.

After making sure every student followed her instructions and there wasn't a speck of color on any picture, the teacher took her own black canvas and attached it to the easel. She picked up a little plastic tool, shaped like a pencil, and began to scratch a scene through the black wax.

The fine lines of each flower began to bloom with color, and the space above her flowering meadow was filled with colorful butterflies. The beauty that pierced through the blackness was even more vibrant than the colors were before being blackened. The more she scratched through the darkness the more amazed we were. Mesmerized by this newfound magical art, we could hardly wait for the plastic tools to be passed out.

We all live in a classroom filled with many things to be learned, and every good teacher knows that a memorable lesson is one that has the ability to captivate the attention of their students.

You may have worked really hard on the canvas of your life. Perhaps you’ve even found creative ways to fill the white spaces and incorporate every crayon in your box. But what happens when the darkness begins spreading itself so thick that every speck of color disappears? All your attempts to preserve the color are unsuccessful and you helplessly watch the darkness take over your canvas. What do you do then?

You wait!

The bell has not yet rung to dismiss you from class.

James tells us that the testing of our faith develops perseverance. And that “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:3-4)

Trust the Teacher!

With the precision of a skilled craftsman, your Teacher will pick up His tool and use it to pierce through the darkness. With every scratch He will uncover the unique scene He designed for your canvas. Each mark is a reflection of His presence as it makes its way through your life.

Your faith in the Teacher enables you to trust Him, but it does something else. As you persevere through the process and observe how He brings out each hidden color, you will notice how the black layer is no longer positioned in the forefront. The darkness has been moved and now serves as the backdrop for the Teacher's design.

Whether your canvas is the size of a poster board or an index card, every mark serves as a lesson in the timeline of your life. And, until the Teacher rings the bell and dismisses you from class, He will continue cutting through the darkness and using it for His purpose. When the curtain goes up and His light shines on the kaleidoscope of color it will not only mesmerize you, the student, but it will draw the eye of those outside the gallery and invite them to join the next class.

(Would you like to create some scratch art? Here's a link that uses black tempura paint instead of black crayons. https://www.firstpalette.com/craft/scratch-art.html )

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

The Mysterious Spot

(by Lorie Codispoti)

One day I noticed an oval shaped spot on the seat of my husband’s recliner in the den. It looked like some kind of oil. But that wasn’t the biggest mystery.

The thing that had me scratching my head (for weeks) was that this strange spot kept reappearing. Every week I noticed a new spot in the same location on his chair. I’d clean it one week, only to find it was back again the next. I was completely baffled.

If I was a superstitious person I’d of been sufficiently creeped out. But I’m not. I knew there had to be a logical explanation, so the super sleuth within went to work investigating this strange phenomenon. (I may not have a forensic lab at my disposal, but Sherlock would have been impressed with my observation skills.)

Did I eventually solve the mystery, you ask?

You betcha!

I was right about the oil, but the day I discovered how it was being transferred to the seat of John’s chair was the day I stopped trying to clean it off.

You see, every Saturday my dear husband spends the entire day in his office studying and preparing to preach on Sunday. I try to keep the house quiet and myself from interrupting him, but I needed to do a load of laundry one Saturday and that meant walking through the den to get to the laundry room. As I did, I noticed something I will never forget. John was kneeling at his recliner with his head on the seat. He was so deep in prayer that he never heard or saw me passing through.

I was right in that the spot was oil, but if I had not seen his forehead pressed into the leather on his chair, I’d of never guessed that this was the source of the mysterious spot.

“The measure of a man is not so much how tall he stands but how low he kneels.” (J. Otis Yoder)

Now, each time I pass John's recliner I’m reminded of the godly man who faithfully seeks the Lord’s guidance and blessing on behalf of those he ministers to each week. It has left an indelible mark that can never be erased.

Jesus said, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Mtt.6:5-6)

I’m pretty sure that there were no leather recliners in the rooms that Jesus referenced, but if there were I bet they’d all have defining prayer spots.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

A Shepherd And His Sheep

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I have no experience with sheep. None. In fact, my interaction with all things ewe related can be summed up by saying that I’ve owned a few scratchy sweaters, tasted their milk, and eaten mutton for dinner (once). That’s it!

But there’s something about the imagery of a shepherd and his sheep that captures both my attention and my affection. I’m drawn to it in Scripture, and in the way an artist paints the pastoral scenery.

I’m not alone.

While this affection continues to be resident among modern day believers, it can also be traced back to the ancient Christians who found refuge in the catacombs of Rome. These caves were not only places for believers to bury their dead, but safe havens for them to gather and worship. The walls served as a blank canvas for these new believers to express their newfound understanding and love for the One who called Himself their Good Shepherd.

What is it about the image of a shepherd caring for his sheep that draws our hearts?

I’m pretty sure it’s connected to the nature of God, the nature of man, and the relationship between the two.

In the Old Testament, God likens Himself to something the nomadic herdsmen would have understood - a Shepherd. And throughout this book we see multiple prophets use the imagery to point to the promised Messiah. Then in the New Testament Jesus describes Himself as our Shepherd. He uses the metaphor in His parables, and also when commissioning His disciples to become like Him and care for His flock.

Sheep are drawn to a good Shepherd, not only for guidance, provision, and protection, but because the shepherd promises to never leave them. It’s His love put on display by His continual, faithful presence that enables the sheep to love, trust, and follow Him.

The more I learn about the characteristics of a good shepherd, the more I understand and love mine.

At the end of the day, ancient shepherds would corral their sheep inside folds made of stone walls. They would stand at the opening, where they touched and counted each animal as it entered the fold. When each one was accounted for he would lay his own body across the opening. There was no door to close so the shepherd became the door. Nothing could get to the sheep without going through him. (Do you have chills yet?)

“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (Jn.10:7-9)

The more I learn about the characteristics of sheep, the more I understand myself.

We’ve often heard that sheep are stupid animals, but that’s not true. Sheep have a strong flocking instinct that not only allows them to band together against predators, but research shows that they can remember a familiar human face and they know the look of their fellow woolies. One study suggests that they are as good as humans at distinguishing faces in a crowd. This tells me that they have the ability to identify an imposter - a “wolf in sheep's clothing.” The foolish sheep are the ones who make themselves vulnerable by going against their instincts, thinking they can find greener pastures on their own.

Voice recognition is a key to survival for sheep. The shepherd calls each one by name and they know his voice. They will not follow any other.

“…the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (Jn.10:3-5)

The more I study Scripture the more I learn about what my relationship to the Shepherd looks like.

I think most of us can recite portions, if not all, of the 23rd Psalm. Throughout the ages, believers and non-believers, alike, have found comfort in this universal Psalm. What some may not realize, however, is that King David wrote this passage as he was looking back over his life. He’s reflecting on the relationship He has had with His Great Shepherd, from the time he was a boy herding his father’s sheep to the time he was a wealthy king.

David not only acknowledges his need as a sheep, but He points out the immutable characteristics of a good Shepherd. His care, guidance, provision, and protection are predominant throughout the passage.

There’s so much I could share about the treasures buried within these verses, but the relational aspect I want to highlight is found in one word: “path.”.

“He leads me in paths of righteousness” (vs.3b).

In the original text David is saying that God leads him in literal round paths. (From our western perspective and English translations, we can miss key points in the text.)

When you visit the wilderness where David was a shepherd boy you can still see the ancient paths carved into the steep hillsides, where the shepherds led their flocks to green pastures. And what you see is not a straight path from bottom to top, but paths that went around the hills. The path was long and tiresome, but any other way would have led to tragedy.

Shepherding hasn’t changed much in that area of the world, and the way God shepherds us hasn’t changed either. He is still leading us the long way around.

Why?

Because a relationship isn’t nurtured in the short cuts that we try to take.

We learn who God is - a loving Shepherd who loves, guides, provides, and protects His sheep, all while never leaving them to navigate life and fend for themselves.

And we learn who we are - sheep whose strength comes from recognizing the Shepherd, knowing His voice, and banding together to follow Him.

The Good Shepherd will sheer us of our heavy, dirty, old garments, and cloth us in His righteousness. It's how He leads us on this path of life. And after the long and arduous journey, when we finally reach our destination, we will have procured an intimate relationship with the One who fulfilled His promise to never leave us.

Won’t you join the fold? Let’s follow Him into eternity together.

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