There’s one animal you and I are most like. We are like sheep. There’s one thing we most need. We need a shepherd.

If you study sheep, you see how helpless they often are. How they wander off and find themselves in danger. Yip, that’s us. We lose our way and we end up in a mess. Sweet little sheep we are. And this is why we have a shepherd. This is our Jesus.

In John 10: 11-15 Jesus said “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus says the enemy will attack, but he will protect us. Jesus says others will come and go and not stay, but he will always remain with us. That’s Jesus, our good shepherd.

To learn about a shepherd is to learn about our Jesus. I don’t suppose there are too many modern day shepherds around here out living with their sheep, so perhaps it would do us some good to have a little study to understand what Jesus is telling his sheep today.

A shepherd lives with their sheep. He has 2 main jobs – Protect the sheep and guide the sheep.

Sheep are rather helpless and without the shepherd guarding them, they will quickly fall prey to predator.

I simply can’t imagine trying to go through this life without my shepherd. It is our personal relationship with Jesus that can give us peace in the middle of life’s greatest storms. Hey, if you’re trying to do this thing on your own, listen to me, you don’t have to. You were never made to do life on your own.

You have a protector, and whether you acknowledge him or not, he has been watching out for you. Wow, if we only knew half the things God has protected us from that we never even saw coming. The enemy’s intended harm never even came into our awareness because our mighty shepherd was protecting us. I wonder how many disasters we were spared from just yesterday!

Jesus is our protector, and he is our guide.

A shepherd guides his sheep to pastures where they will find exactly what they need. Our shepherd guides us and it’s a good thing because much like sheep, we sure have a way of messing up directions, don’t we? Why don’t we just stick close to Jesus and follow him instead of running off and trying to make our own way? That just never ends up good, does it?

But thankfully Jesus knows our tendencies and he has already prepared for our wandering nature. When we get ourselves in trouble, all we have to do is call out to him and he will find us. Isn’t it amazing to know he cares so much about us that he will come hunt us down and pull us out of whatever mess we’ve gotten into. He won’t stop until he finds us. There’s nothing he won’t do for us. I mean he’s already proven that – he died to save us.

You’ve heard Jesus’ story about leaving the 99 to find the 1 lost sheep, right? Whether you realize it or not, you were once that 1 who got lost. You were straying. You were wandering. You’re only here listening and seeking today because he found you and brought you back.

We are his sheep. Remember this. We are not his pigs.

Here’s the difference between a sheep and a pig. A sheep and a pig can fall in the same mud, but they have a different nature. When the pig gets in the mud, he wallows in it. When the sheep gets in the mud, he cries out for help.

Pig wallows and stays stuck. Sheep cries for help to get unstuck.

Stop acting like a pig. Stop hanging out with pigs. You were never meant to wallow in your mess. You were never meant to get stuck and stay stuck. Stop settling for your current situation. You’re not a pig. You are a sheep. Cry out for help to your shepherd and watch him come running for you.

You aren’t meant to wallow. Get up sweet sheep, get up.

Now, one last thing I would like to share. I’ve spoken to many mamas who are going through tough times with their teen or young adult children. I have to believe God has allowed this struggle to touch my own family so I would have personal experience in the battle. I get you, Mama. I understand. It’s hard to watch your child become so lost.

Our kids are wandering off, going down the wrong path, on the wrong course making some majorly stupid choices. First, let me say, mama, drop the guilt and shame. This happens to the best of us. Your wayward child is a sheep, a sheep lost – a sheep with a Shepard who is relentless in his pursuit for your child.

Ezekiel 34: 15-16, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and i will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak.”

Write that down. That’s a promise from your Shepherd. Cling to that for your child. God is seeking the lost and he will bring back the strayed. God’s got this!

I bet there was a time when you wandered off. A time when you were racking up the stupid decisions and epically bad choices. And he brought you back, didn’t he? You’re here listening today and that’s the result of a shepherd who never gave up on you. You can trust he’s not giving up on the next generation of sheep either sweet sister.

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1804 You’re Not a Pig