Nov29

"VERILY, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." John 10:1-5

It is said that the Eastern shepherd, as he brings his sheep back to the fold each night, stands at the door and counts each one. In doing so, he puts his hand on the head of each animal. He makes a habit of touching each one of them. If he were to get careless and habitually neglect to touch the sheep, they would soon turn their heads away when they heard his voice. This could be very serious, because such a broken habit would follow the animal's actually ignoring the warning shout from the shepherd and subsequently could be disastrous for the sheep.

Now, Jesus tells us that He is the door of the sheep ~ He is the good shepherd who giveth His life for the sheep! This is just awesome, don't you think?
If we are experiencing the Shepherd's touch daily in our lives, then we will recognize His voice when He warns of impending danger. This means "practicing His presence" daily! If we do not practice His presence every day, then we have probably gone astray ~ practicing the presence of our enemy. I believe our Lord awaits the moment to "touch" our day with His presence, don't you?

Application:
A shepherd often sleeps in the fold with his sheep for protection. Jesus' presence is with us always ~ while we are awake and when we lay our weary heads down to rest. Just as the shepherd cares for his sheep, Jesus, the good Shepherd, cares for His flock of followers. Why not let His presence touch your lives throughout your day?

May God bless you with a wonderful day spent in His presence.

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Love in Christ,
Sandy