His Mark and His Voice

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Today's Passage> John 10: 1-18
Memory Verses> Ephesians 1: 13-14

It's interesting to note how much our society is into brands. From a piece of candy to a fancy car, there's always a distinctive mark that shows who the creator is so that no possibility of misrepresentation of a company's product(s) occurs. Yesterday, our pastors shared with us the process of branding or marking the sheep, which is the natural shepherd's first order of business. Immediately upon purchase, the shepherd must subject his sheep to the painful procedure of "earmarking" to distinguish them externally from sheep that belong to another shepherd.

But although this outward mark tells shepherds whom the sheep belong to, how do the SHEEP know whose they are? It's the shepherd's voice that trains the sheep to respond to a certain call. Their shepherd spends quality time using this sound so that, when all the sheep from various pastures are in the same place, each group can only hear their shepherd's voice.

The parallel for us as believers is clear. We are the sheep of the Lord's pasture. He's purchased us with His blood. However, it seems easier for us to identify with every other brand than that which points to Christ. Here's a quick test of what we truly identify with. If someone were to ask us who we are, what comes out first? Does "believer" make the top ten, or does everything else that we do take priority? Our favorite team, the charity we support, or even our college fraternal organization seems to take up more space in our lives than our devotion to God. So when it comes to drawing the line in the sand and declaring our allegiance, whose voice do we listen to?

The important thing to understand is that God wants first place, but He is not a tyrant. He would never force us to be totally devoted to Him, but His love is what draws us. His Holy Spirit, Who is the seal that He puts in us until we are presented spotless before His throne, uses His Voice to train us to listen for the will of the Father. When He calls us, we can choose to allow His Voice to be the authority in our lives, guiding our decisions on a daily basis. Or we can choose to ignore the Shepherd's Voice. But be mindful: the wolves and other predators can also detect the rebellion, and they, too, can instantly discern our disconnection from our only Life Source. This is the sign our enemy needs to confirm that we are really without a Shepherd, and then he closes in. If you need any more evidence to convince you of the importance of identifying with the Good Shepherd, get the message from Sunday. Other than that, all you have to do is align yourself with His Mark and His Voice, and He'll do the rest.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for making a way to keep me safe. I thank You for the Holy Spirit, Who is the guarantee that You purchased me. As I yield to His Voice, may I manifest to the outside world that You are real, and that You are in full control of my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.