Monthly Devotional

All We Like Sheep

April, 2007

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6

One cold evening in March, some of our sheep got out of the safety of their paddock and were left stranded outside the barn, away from food, water, and the rest of the flock. My ten-year-old daughter and I tromped through the snow and opened a gate to beckon them back in. But they couldn’t find their way back until we shined the flashlight on the gate. All the ewes returned to the fold, but one sheep straggled behind. He chose not to follow the light through the gate and enter the pasture.

I felt frustrated. Why wouldn’t he come for warmth, safety, food, and water? Then I realized I do the same thing when I fail to follow the light from God’s Word.

This Easter, we are reminded that the Lord laid the iniquity of us all on Him, the one perfect Lamb, the Shepherd of our souls. Jesus called Himself the “gate for the sheep” (John 10:7). He said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture (John 10:9). Jesus must long for us to come through the gate. He also supplies the light we need to enter the gate and to walk with Him. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Father, this Easter season we remember what You did for us by allowing Your Son, the perfect lamb, to die for our sins. May we come to You, the gate to green pasture, and walk in the light of Your Word.

Copyright © 2007 - Ann Marie Stewart. All rights reserved.

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