My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me...(John 10:27)
Be so in love with God that you are "ready to charge hell with a squirt gun". That was the message that David Gray gave yesterday!
All week long I agonized over whether or not I was doing what the Lord wanted me to do. Am I giving my all in all that I do? Could I be doing more? What exactly is my job here on Earth? The answer to that last question is "it's a Christian's job to take people to heaven with them".
In order for John 10:27 to be fulfilled (and it is every day), 3 things must happen.
First off - "My sheep hear my voice" - in order to hear something, we must be listening. How? Patience! I pray and wait on a answer (he's an on-time God - but it's in his time, not mine). He doesn't always give us the answer right then and there. And sometimes, the answer is "no". We have to be willing to act on his plan for us.
First off - "My sheep hear my voice" - in order to hear something, we must be listening. How? Patience! I pray and wait on a answer (he's an on-time God - but it's in his time, not mine). He doesn't always give us the answer right then and there. And sometimes, the answer is "no". We have to be willing to act on his plan for us.
Part 2 - "and I know them" - he knows who we are by the mark our soul! He has tagged us with something set apart from other creatures. Like a rancher brands his cattle, so God has branded us!
Part 3 - "and they follow me" - Did you ever watch ducks on a pond? The mama duck swims out in front and all the little ducklings are in tow right behind her. They follow her pattern on the water meticulously -- they don't deviate from the path she's taking. When one of them does, it swims around in a circle and then finally figures out which directions she went in and then put the outboard motor on to catch up! Don't we as Christians sometimes do that as well? We are secure in our walk and then something catches our eye - and the distraction takes us off the path - when we realize it, we scurry like ducks on a pond to get back on the right track.
Be bold in your faith - be as believing and convincing as you possibly can! Try to take as many people to heaven with you as is possible! Its really not that difficult. Today I realize that I may be the only person in someone's life who can tell them who Jesus is. Their interaction with me may just be the one that is in God's plan for them!
While in Tennessee, we were soliciting donations for the American Heart Association. The employee who got the most "hearts" would win tickets to one of the amusement parks . I received many donations (if you donated, you got a paper heart to write your name on and it was taped to the wall) ~ most of them had my name on the back of them! I'm realized that it is as easy to ask people if they'd like to know Jesus, as it is to ask them if they'd like to donate to the American Heart Association. And if they say "yes", the reward is a lot greater than a paper heart and my "bonus" for recruitment will be realized in heaven!
Be bold for what you believe in! Be listening for your shepherd's voice and walk on the path he lays before you! Am I truly walking in the footprints of Jesus or am I making my own?
