Your Shepherd is calling you...

I am not a big shopper, but when I do go shopping, I like to go with my mom.  I trust her advice on my purchases and know that she will give me an honest answer on what I am buying.   There have been many times while shopping with my mom that we have been separated and I have to yell out for her.  We can be in a crowded store and as soon as I yell out for her she recognizes my voice, and knows that I am calling her.   My mom knows my voice because she is familiar with me.  She knows me almost as well as I know myself.
                                                     

When I yell out for my mom she will respond and I feel a sense of relief knowing that she is there and I will be able to find her.  She will often either come to me or tell me where I can find her, so that I am not walking aimlessly around the store in search for her.

This is exactly what God does for us.  In John 10 Jesus uses the parable of sheep to explain his connection to his people.  Jesus says that his sheep will know his voice and that he calls them by name and leads them out.   After the shepherd has brought out all his sheep he will walk ahead of them, but the sheep will follow him because they know the voice of their shepherd.   

He then goes on to say that his sheep will never follow the voice of a stranger, but they will run away and hide from him because they do not know or recognize his voice.   

Jesus is saying that he is the shepherd and we are the sheep.   Jesus is calling each and every one of us into a relationship with him, to know him intimately and to trust in him.  While in the process of trusting Jesus we will begin to know his voice.  We will begin to deepen in our trust of him so when he walks in front of us, guiding us and shows us the way to go, we will follow him anywhere he leads us.  

The shepherd, Jesus, will not be worried about his flock following another voice because the bond, trust and relationship between Jesus and his flock will already have been forged.  There will be no separation because the two have already become one. 

This does not mean that the enemy won’t try to break the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep.  In fact it’s quite the opposite.  The enemy will try to break the bond between the two, where there are two or more, there is God.  This is a fear of Satan’s.  Satan does not want to allow people to follow Jesus, and grow in Faith and Trust of him, because it strengthens God’s power in the Earth.   

There have been a few times while I have been shopping with my mom that I can’t find her and when I call for her she does not respond.  There is a panic that happens on those rare occasions.  I will frantically start looking for her until I find her.   While in search for her I am calling her name, until I hear a response. 

This is what Jesus does with us.  We will be searching for him.  Searching for what is missing in our lives, for something to take the pain away, to ease our loneliness.   The whole time Jesus is calling out our names.  Jesus is saying I am over here.  Keep looking and you will find me.  You will start to have desires to change your life, or to not participate in activities that once brought you joy and satisfaction.  This is Jesus calling you into relationship with him.   

Jesus is saying I am right here.  I am waiting for you to find me and I will not leave this space or stop calling your name until our relationship is so close that you will know my voice anywhere I am.  You will follow me and never have to seek for me again.    

We all come to finding Jesus by our own paths.  We all have a personal route to take that will lead us to Jesus, but the outcome is the same.  Once Jesus starts calling your name and bringing you into relationship with him, there won’t be another voice you will want to listen too.   The voice of the enemy will still be there but your ears (hearts) will only be tuned in to hear the voice of your shepherd, Jesus.

The closer your relationship with Jesus gets the clearer his voice will become and this is why in verse 10:4 he says, when he brings his own sheep outside he will lead them and they will follow because they know his voice.   There will be a yearning in your heart to know Jesus deeper and to become one with him, so when he says now it’s time for you to follow me, you will obey his request.  

He will now lead you into the purpose you were created for.  The voice of Jesus is a voice that will always be calling your name, no matter how long you have dedicated your life to him.  No matter how close your relationship is with Jesus, he will never stop calling your name.   

Just like the closeness a mother and daughter have, that when I call for my mom in a crowded store, she will always know my voice; your Heavenly Father will always know your voice and will never stop calling you into a closer relationship with him.