The Good Shepherd and the Heartless Master

We have today. We also have fresh grace to walk on the path that our Good Shepherd has ordained for us. How will you use today? How will you bless others? How will you bless the Lord?

A wise woman (Shirley Corbett) wrote these words that continue to inspire me: “I am on call now every day….all day…listening for his voice. As I take care of my responsibilities here at home, I’m alert for any interruption He might send into my day.”

When I first read that I stopped and pondered the simplicity of the statement and how it spoke to her relationship with her Heavenly Father. Then I asked God what he wanted me to do with the day. My answer came quickly and clearly. It was not an audible voice but a strong impression. How do I judge if it’s God or me?

Well, first I try not to get all crazy about it. It’s not like I can shut my mind totally down. But I do know that when the thought is not something that I’d normally do on my own, it’s probably God and I need to act. More than that, I want to act. That’s the grace part. When God tells you to do something and you feel like you need to do it, sometimes a conflict can ensue in your brain. But when you find yourself excited that God has given you a task and you are amazed that once again he has spoken to you, that is when the fun begins.

I equate it to getting a mission that is a secret between God and me. Sometimes it’s simple and sometimes it can be very inconvenient, but that’s life, is it not? We have an adventure with a loving master and he longs to take us to new places and allow us to learn more about him. How great is that? It’s more than great – it’s amazing.

The knowledge of the privilege of my relationship with him caused a portion of Chapter 2 from A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 to affect me as I ruminated on it (to use a sheep term). The shepherd is looking at the sheep of the heartless, selfish owner of a neighboring flock and says the following, “In my mind’s eye I can still see them standing at the fence, huddled sadly in little knots, staring wistfully through the wires at the rich pastures on the other side. To all their distress, the heartless, selfish owner seemed utterly callous and indifferent. He simply did not care.”

Our life in Christ is in complete contrast to this picture. We have the most caring, selfless master of all. We need to let that sink into the depths of our soul and bring forth compassion for those under a heartless master. They are all around us, but we bring light and can influence them to look to the Good Shepherd. So, how will you use your today? Prepare to be amazed.

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