THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

May 19, 2021

LIFE IN THE FOLD:

I recently read something in a book that I'm not 100% sure how accurate the information is, but it sounds very plausible. I did find some articles that backed up parts of this.

What I read was this: A ewe getting ready to give birth will start making noises. Why? She is calling to her lamb that is being born. The mother will call out to her newborn lamb as she is giving birth and afterwards, so the baby learns the sound of her voice. Even in a large flock, a newborn can always find its mama by sound sooner than by sight.

I found an article written by someone who raises sheep. They wrote that sheep use their "voices" to call to one another, and to answer back. The mama sheep and the baby lamb will use their voices to find one another, when they become separated.

They also wrote that sheep use their voices to call out to each other when they are moving together as a herd. It seems to be so that they can keep track of each other.

The sheep, whether it be mothers and lambs or within the herd, don't just call out to one another one time. But one will use their voice to call out, then the other will answer; and they will continue doing this until they are reunited or the herd reaches its location.

They sheep also become familiar with the voice of their shepherd. The voice of a good shepherd is one that signals comfort and security. The sheep follow and know that they are on the right path, because they are following the shepherd they know and have experienced that he is trustworthy. In fact, when the shepherd calls out to their sheep, the sheep will respond and answer. In fact, they keep calling out to the shepherd, and the shepherd answers back so they can know where he is.

In John chapter 10, Jesus gives this parable: "I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber. 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."

The people didn't understand this illustration or what Jesus meant, so he explained it to them: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."

Jesus continued, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep."

Then in verse 14, Jesus again says, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father."

When we receive salvation, we become a part of the flock of Jesus. We are like one of His sheep, and He is our shepherd. We learn and know His voice when He speaks to us. We know when it's Him, and know when it's a stranger calling out to us, trying to steal our salvation; coming to steal, kill and destroy us.

When we get to know the Shepherd and know His voice, we experience His trustworthiness and know that we can depend on Him to keep us on the right path. We know that He gave His life for us. We know that if we will follow His voice, He will protect us and keep us safe from any enemy attacks.

In the story I used of the shepherd and sheep, calling out continuously to one another is such a perfect picture of us and Jesus, our Good Shepherd. We call out to Him, and He responds to us. He calls out to us, and we respond. We are in constant communication with one another.

Sheep don't worry about wild animal attacks or becoming lost or getting into trouble; as long as they stay within hearing distance of the shepherd. They aren't concerned with what they are going to eat or drink. They have complete confidence in the shepherd; trusting that he will protect them, provide for them, keep them in the right field where they have plenty to eat and drink, and meeting all their needs.

We, too, can have that same trust and faith in our Good Shepherd, Jesus!

Psalms 23 is probably one of the most beloved chapters in Psalms.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake."

That all sounds wonderful! And it is a perfect picture of the love and care that Jesus has for us.

But then we continue in verse 4: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever."

Every day of our life isn't going to be green pastures and still waters. We will definitely have those times; but there will also be those times of walking through the valley of the shadow of death. There will be those times when we are in the presence of our enemies (personally, as a church, or as a nation). Hard times and difficulties will happen, even when we are in the care of the Good Shepherd.

But this is His promise to us: When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we do not have to fear evil. Why? Because the Good Shepherd is always with us. Always! We don't have to be afraid when going through the darkest valley, for He will always be close beside us. His rod and staff protect and comfort us.

When we feel as if we are in the presence of our enemies, He never leaves us alone. In fact, He prepares a table spread with a feast for us when that happens. He has anointed us with His oil, so that our cup runs over. That's not during the times of blessing and good times; but that promise is given when it is talking about the Shepherd preparing a table for us when we are in the presence of our enemies. We can experience blessings, even when we are in the deep valley or surrounded by the enemy.

The goodness of the Shepherd and His unfailing love will pursue me and you all the days of our life. Why? So that we can live in the house of the Lord forever.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Each day or each evening (I guess depending on weather), the shepherd would take his flock out to graze. It might be several miles to get from their safe sheepfold to the safe grazing land. The path would probably be trampled down, and barren. But the sheep would follow their shepherd however far he led them. And it might change from day to day. They knew that where they were going would be good and full of tasty grass. And at the end of the day or night, they would head home with full bellies, across the barren path.

We may feel like that at times. Sometimes, we are in the safe area, and don't want to leave. Other times, we are on the path, and have no idea where we're going. And other times, we have plenty, and can enjoy ourselves. And finally, we may have to leave the plenty to go back to where we started.

Wherever you are, God is there. Our Shepherd hasn't abandoned us.

ON THE MENEWE:

Meatloaf

Combine all ingredients. Put in a casserole dish or loaf pan.

Brush top with ketchup.

Bake at 350 for 1-1/2 hours.

Drain off as much excess grease as possible, before serving.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

This week I want to share a couple easy cooking tips with you:

Here are two tips for shredding chicken easily for recipes. 1. Use a portable mixer to shred the meat while it is hot. 2. Take a chicken breast that is hot and put it in a plastic bowl with a lid. Shake the bowl hard a few times and the chicken will shred.

When boiling potatoes for potato salad, put your eggs (to boil) in the pot with the potatoes when you put them on to cook. When the potatoes are soft, the eggs are done.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak.

Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. - Winston Churchill

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org