The Shorn Sheep

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
Isaiah 53:6 NLT

I did not write this story, but I found it very interesting and appropriate for this time of our lives. I hope you will, too. The author's identity is unknown to me. 

Have you heard of Shrek the sheep? He became famous several years ago when he was found after hiding out in caves for six years. Of course, during this time his fleece grew without anyone there to shorn (shave) it. When he was finally found and shaved, his fleece weighed an amazing sixty pounds! Most sheep have a fleece weighing just under ten pounds, with the exception usually reaching fifteen pounds, maximum. 

For six years, Shrek carried six times the regular weight of his fleece. Simply because he was away from his shepherd.

This reminds me of John 10 when Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd, and His followers are His sheep. Maybe it’s a stretch, but I think Shrek is much like a person who knows Jesus Christ but has wandered. If we avoid Christ’s constant refining of our character, we’re going to accumulate extra weight in this world—a weight we don’t have to bear.

When Shrek was found, a professional sheep shearer took care of Shrek’s fleece in twenty-eight minutes. Shrek’s sixty-pound fleece was finally removed - enough wool to make suits for 20 men! All it took was coming home to his shepherd.

Christ will lift the burdens we carry, if only we stop hiding. He can shave off our ‘fleece’—that is, our self-imposed burdens - brought about by wandering from our Good Shepherd.

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Prayer:

Father,

          Forgive us for running from You and from Your disciplines and correction. According to Your Word, may we have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is for us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Voice Recognition - or - Learning to Communicate

But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.
John 10:2-5 NLT

My phone has one feature that I REALLY like. Voice Recognition. If I'm near a WIFI connection, all I have to do is hit the microphone symbol and speak my message, instead of the usual hunt and peck to text. If I'm NOT near WIFI, there is no voice recognition feature available.

It does seem to have a little bit of an issue translating a Texas accent, at times. Supposedly, the more I utilize it, the more adept it will become in recognizing my speech patterns. The key is to make sure you choose the right language for response. Mine has several choices, but I assure you, 'Texan' isn't one of them. One thing's for certain, its' inherent word bank clearly indicates it ain't from 'round here, and that can be a source of frustration.

Prayer can feel the same way. After all, it IS communication. But are we near our Connection hook up? If not, we're left hunting and pecking to try to get the message across. Can we hear the Master's voice? If not, we need to check if we're in the sheepfold. He calls us by name. He's the Leader and we follow because we know His voice. If we don't recognize His voice, we need to spend more time so that we become adept in recognizing His speech patterns.

There are 2 keys to Voice Recognition or Learning to Communicate in our text for today. 1) Be sure you are in the right sheepfold, and 2) Know who you are and what is the correct response.

If Christ is the Shepherd, then we are the sheep. That means we need to learn how to respond to Him in kind. That does NOT mean, He speaks and we say "Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?"

Clearly, our response should be, "Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…" and follow His voice.

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to remember that prayer is not initiation, but rather it is always in response to You. We want to be fluent in all aspects when speaking with You and when listening for Your voice. We want to recognize You and obey. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen