Only Jesus!

John 10:¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”

We often start the New Year with a lot of zest, a lot of energy, and we are fired up. But sometimes, in a few weeks or one month, we have taken some hits and lost bearing. Fear creeps in and we begin to doubt all that we set out to achieve. Most times, what we need is for God to realign us. Therefore, at this time of the year, we need guidance and we need reorientation more than ever before. In other words, we need a shepherd; someone to lead the way and one to shepherd us. The question to you and I today is, who is your shepherd? I pray that by the time this season is over, if the answer I am about to give is not your answer, you will be able to say, Only Jesus. I pray that when you step out of your place of devotion, and as you encounter life going forward, your response would be Only Jesus.

Please read Ps.23:1-6. Ps.23:⁴ “…Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” Back in the day, every shepherd had a rod and a staff; these are the shepherd’s two oldest equipment. The staff is the tool with a hook at one end and the rod is the tool that looks like a club. The rod is used to fight the enemy of the sheep, but the staff is used on the sheep. The rod is a tool for guarding and protecting the sheep. The rod represents power and authority. The rod of Christ will guard and protect you and your family [say Amen]. The staff on the other hand is a tool for guiding and directing the sheep. The staff represents care and compassion. You need a shepherd that will protect you and care for you. You need a shepherd that will watch over your soul.

You need a shepherd; every sheep needs a shepherd and every shepherd has a flock. The relationship between the sheep and the shepherd is personal. The flock is so important to the shepherd that you cannot separate a shepherd from his flock. The shepherd is ready to lay his life down for his flock. You cannot afford to be a roving sheep or a floating sheep. Every sheep needs a shepherd and every shepherd has a flock. So, who is your shepherd and which flock do you belong to? The state of the flock tells a story of the level of satisfaction of the shepherd. If there is something wrong with the flock, the shepherd is not happy. Who is your shepherd?

For me to get to the conclusion that only Jesus is my Shepherd, there were a couple of things I had to ask myself and I am going to share them with you. These things made me conclude that only Jesus is worthy of being my shepherd. How Jesus treats His sheep made me determine that ONLY Jesus will be my Shepherd. I understand that Pastors are under-shepherds, but ultimately the shepherd of our souls is Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You alone are my Shepherd and I am Your sheep, in Jesus Name. Amen!