John 10:4-5 (KJV)
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
There were a couple of questions that I had about this verse right off the bat! For a long time I had been struggling with God's guidance, and still find myself needing to learn more to this day. However, yesterday, I had a major breakthrough thanks to the Holy Spirit and Jesus in understanding this text a little better. Here were the questions that I had about the verse:
- What does it mean when the verse says "he (Jesus) goeth before them?
- How does He go before them?
- How do they know His voice?
- What is this part about a stranger all about?
"he (Jesus) goes before me"
The first question was a big one. Jesus goes before us? Over time, I am learning that somehow Jesus goes ahead of us and smooths the way to open doors for us in no matter what He calls us to!
An example of this was when I was colportering with a friend. It was my first time to go out and knock on doors, and I was a bit scared to do it! In fact, I had noticed that I was having a hard time getting any books out or having any encounters with people. My friend, decided to come along with me, and he reminded me of something I had forgotten a long time before this incident, that it was important to pray before I went to the door, and that Jesus would make the way.
So, he and I quickly said a prayer asking Jesus to prepare the heart of the person we were going to visit, and as a result, the person was friendly and more open to what we had to say!
This incident really helped me better understand what Jesus was talking about when He said that He goes before us, and in a little more how He goes before us as well. Prayer had been the way to ask Him to go before me.
"How does He go before me?"
When I prayed and asked God, things happened! They might not have been things that were easy to see at first either, yet they were there. Sometimes Jesus would do things that I could not see until later in my life, and He is still doing things that I cannot see, and may not see until He comes again and we are all in heaven! However, when I took the time to talk to Him, He always answered, and continues to answer me.
In order to better illustrate the point of how He has gone before me, I will tell a quick story of a time I was passing out Steps to Christ at the door. This was almost a year after colpourtering. I had been going to college at Southern Adventist University, and was starting to want to give Jesus control of my Sabbaths more. After church there was a group of young people going to pass out Steps to Christ. I quickly volunteered to go, because I felt that this was Jesus call in my life. So about half-way through the process of passing out Steps to Christ, I discovered that I was having a hard time getting books out. Why was this? Then I remembered what my friend had told me about prayer! So on the way to the next house (and there was a long stretch between houses) I began to pray that Jesus would use me including my failures to His glory. Up until this point the sky had been full of clouds, but I asked Jesus if He would have the sun shine through the clouds. As I looked into the sky, I noticed a small crack in the clouds begin to form, and a shaft of light begin to burst through the clouds, and with it some warmth against the cool day. When I arrived at the next house, I was ready, I had asked Jesus to go before me, and in-spite of my faults and failures to use me in His service!
As I knocked at the door, I could hear a vacuum going in the background and a lady opened the door, but did not turn off the vacuum. She said that she was busy. So, knowing that I had asked Jesus to use me in-spite of my faults and failures, I opened the Steps to Christ book in my hand and began to read the first thing I saw, and this is what it said:
"There is no time or place in which it is inappropriate to offer up a petition to God. There is nothing that can prevent us from lifting up our hearts int he spirit of earnest prayer". (White, 99, para 1).
As a result, the lady responded: "I'd probably better read that" and she took the book"! Jesus had done it in spite of my failures, mistakes, and inability to properly communicate! There is nothing too hard for the Lord!
This story better brings out the point that Jesus goes before us in ways that only He can! When we pray, Jesus makes a way!
How do I know His voice?
As I write this, a better part of this has become more understood to me. Up until about yesterday, I was really struggling to understand what the Bible means when it says that they know His voice. My wife and I had to make a decision on something and did not know which way to turn. We prayed about it, and knew that Jesus would go before us, but we did not know how He would communicate with us. Then it happened! Jesus did communicate with us.
As my wife was going through the pros and cons of making a decision, something amazing happened! One of the cons was actually that if we did this thing we would be breaking one of God's commandments! I couldn't believe what I had just heard! Jesus had done it! His Word says: "To the Law and to the Testimony, if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them"
Now the opportunity was not in itself bad, but rather as we thought on taking advantage of that opportunity it would be bad because in order for us to do so we would be breaking a commandment!
My wife and I had not asked anyone but God for advice at this point! I was thinking it was going to take someone else to answer us, but God had answered us Himself! Jesus does answer when we call out to Him for help and advice!
What is the part of the stranger all about?
Any advice that is given that is against God's Word is from the stranger! This does not mean that the person who gave the advice is from the stranger, but that that the stranger has used them. I know that I have been used by the stranger numerous times! I have caused so much pain, to other people, because they listened to me, and my words, and my words were not the words of the Good Shepherd! :( How sad! :( However, there is mercy and grace for even a sinner like me at Calvary! Jesus paid that price as the Good Shepherd! He went to Calvary! In fact in John 10:11 Jesus says:
John 10:11 (KJV)
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Jesus not only goes before us, smooths the way, but He went before us to Calvary and paid the ultimate price so that we might not perish but have everlasting life through Him!
Friend, have you messed up in your life? Have you given bad advice? Have you hurt those closest to you? Have you done it on accident? Have you had times where you have listened to the stranger? Calvary is still available for you! The Good Shepherd wants you in heaven with Him! Will you accept Him and His offer of love? We don't have to listen to the stranger's lies in our lives, we can go to Jesus just as we are, and He will cleanse us and make us new! Jesus says
John 6:37-39 (KJV)
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
No comments:
Post a Comment