Good question. God's Word tells us...
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one-to his own way;..." (Isaiah 53:6)
Followers of Jesus Christ could be compared to sheep. In Bible times, and maybe even now in Middle Eastern culture, sheep followed a shepherd. The shepherd kept the sheep safe from the dangers of wolves, lions, snakes and the like. The shepherd found green pastures and still waters for his sheep. The sheep knew their shepherd's voice.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." John 20:27-28
Yet as sheep nibble grass, they do go astray. If one sheep exits through a hole in the fence (western sheep herding), chances are many of the others will follow suit.
They need to stay close to the shepherd to be kept safe, and well-fed and watered, to survive.
Jesus is pictured as the Good Shepherd. The apostle John writes Jesus' Words in John 10:11,
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."
I'm thinking of that. What a very good kind of shepherd to have. Safety. Security. The sheep willing to follow such a shepherd is a good kind of "sheep-ly"; a following "sheep-ly", not a straying "sheep-ly".
I love my Good Shepherd Jesus. I want to be a good "sheep-ly".
"What type of "sheep-ly" are you?" I ask sheepishly.
~ERC December 2017~
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