November 17, 2012

“The Way Home”

“You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture. You are men, and I am your God, says the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 34:31) KJV

These God breathed words from the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel are like an act of foresight when God would once again walk among His people on earth, only this time to be their Good Shepherd (John 10:11-13), calling the lost out of darkness and bringing them into the safety of His Fold. From the beginning of time the Lord has never stopped searching for the lost to gather them under His wings, where He could heal their wounds, comfort their souls, and then safely usher them Home. The LORD sees through the darkness that we find ourselves lost in and He knows how helpless we are to escape on our own, and He sees the futility in our attempts to find our way home without the guiding Light of Christ Jesus, the Greatest Shepherd of all. In this fallen world there are many false shepherds with many strange voices that are filling our minds and stealing our hearts--voices calling out for us to follow—voices of empty promises—voices of many shattered dreams. There is a voice of pride that tells us we don’t really need the Good Shepherd to find our way Home, though many have tried and so many have failed. The voice of human reason whispers into our ear; “there is more than One Shepherd with whom you could follow”—“they’re many good shepherds that can heal our wounds and show us the many different paths that lead the way Home.” The airways are filled with the many diverse voices of Satan, promising the riches of this world when we follow his ways. We hear the loud voices of defeat screaming over our failures—saying we’re too lost to be found—too wounded to be healed—too dead to be saved. But amidst all the loud voices calling out for our hearts there is but One Voice that stands out from the rest—One Voice that speaks only Truth. And the Voice we recognize is that of Christ Jesus our Lord, our God, our Savior and Good Shepherd. The Lord God no longer uses a human prophet for His Voice to be heard, because the barrier between God and man has been removed by the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus being nailed to a wooden Cross (Mark 15:37-38). It is because of His onetime, selfless act of love and sacrifice that we are able to reconnect with God, for He lives within His flock where He speaks directly into their hearts. We can trust the Good Shepherd to be the Lord of our lives—the One who’s True Voice we can recognize and follow, especially those who are lost and in fear for their lives. And with each lost one found, He takes them into His arms and washes them clean, heals their wounds, comforts their hearts, and then leads them Home. There is no greater Shepherd, nor One more faithful than He. There is no other Savior with whom we can trust with our lives. There is only One Lord; only One God (Deuteronomy 6:4) who knows the Way Home.

A Still Small Voice

When I call you out of darkness…and shine My Light on you, you will know My Voice and I will comfort your soul. The world promises you all, but none can you keep. I promise you peace and a safe journey Home. The way of the world leads only to Hell—the Way of My Word will lead you Home.

John 10:11-13

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But he who is a hireling and not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.” (NKJ)

Mark 15:37-38

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed His last. And the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. (NLT)

The LORD our God is One Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4)