| Lord,
give us the heart of Yeshua.
There are no words that can describe
the Shepherd’s heart. Until the last day of our lives, our
Shepherd is watching over us. The Shepherd puts His eyes on us;
He never takes a break or goes out for vacation somewhere, but
always helps us walk and run. Sheep need a shepherd. When the
sun rises up or goes down, even in the rain or snow, sheep need
to trust their shepherd, because the Shepherd’s heart is
with us. The sheep need to enter into His gates with a heart of
praise and thanksgiving. Our Shepherd will never leave us or forsake
us. The presence of the Shepherd always gives the sheep security.
When the sheep see the rod in the Shepherd’s hand, they
acknowledge His power and authority. When the Shepherd stretches
out His arms, the sheep know that His love for them will never
change. The Shepherd has sacrificial love for the sheep. He needs
to hold the rod in His hand to stop the sheep from going the wrong
way. Every day the Shepherd has to deal with black sheep, white
sheep, and goats, but He always puts them into their places. Black
sheep, white sheep, wandering sheep, and goats; the church is
filled with all of these.
Black sheep’s hearts are
filled with rebellion and anger; they come against the Shepherd’s
heart, love, teaching, authority, and power. They are very stubborn.
Those sheep that wander around
always cause division and stir up people’s peace; they want
to go wherever the wind blows and have no steadfastness. They
cause the Shepherd’s heart to bleed over and over again.
They challenge the Shepherd and have a hard time committing to
Him. They always want to have their own way of thinking and agenda
and are constantly wandering off somewhere.
White sheep are faithful and committed.
They have hunger and thirst for righteousness, holiness, and the
truth. They are very devoted, laying down their lives for the
truth. They hold on to commitment, faithfulness, and dedication.
They always want to walk next to the Shepherd or behind Him, faithfully.
They do not ask for too much, but always offer their wool.
Goats are clothed in wool, but
are poison to the sheep; they destroy them.
God loves shepherds; a shepherd’s
heart is with his sheep. The shepherd holds the rod in his hand
and stops the sheep from going the wrong way. His power and authority
comes from above, from heaven.
How can we love Him the way that
He loves us? We should offer God worship and glorify His holy
love and mercy.
When I was young, my father was
like a shepherd. His presence always comforted me. I remember
how my father guided me when he took me fishing. One good memory
of my father was from those times that he took me to the ocean
to catch fish. I was probably around eight, nine, or ten years
of age. His two hands carried the fishing pole and other things;
I just walked behind him, following him. My daddy led me to the
place that had peaceful, clean water and found a place where I
could sit down and play. I sat on the rocks most of the time,
looking for seashells or little rocks. I would walk in the sand
and draw pictures with my feet. I would stare at the horizon at
the reflection of the sky, sunlight, and clouds. Sometimes I would
go deeply into my own world and my own thoughts. My daddy’s
voice would touch my ear as he called my name. He always checked
on me, like a shepherd checks on his sheep; I was a little sheep
to him. It seemed like any time a big wave could attack my little
body and swallow the whole earth, my daddy’s fishing pole,
and the fish. I would start to feel fear of the big waves. When
fear attacked my mind, I quickly checked my daddy’s face
and always found his countenance filled with peace and confidence.
Then I knew that nothing would happen; my daddy would take care
of the big waves.
Sheep need to know that their
Shepherd will take care of every big wave and storm, anything
that comes their way. Sheep need to feel secure in the presence
of their Shepherd. As time passed by and I grew older, Jesus became
my everlasting Shepherd. He always leads me beside still water
and green pastures. In green pastures, I can see the Shepherd’s
love and care for me. But in the time of a storm, people have
a hard time feeling the love of the Shepherd. When I look back
at my life, even until yesterday, somehow either intentionally
or unintentionally, I have grieved my Shepherd’s heart by
doing things according to the way of my own understanding, in
disobedience or slow obedience. All of these things break the
Shepherd’s heart; grieve the Shepherd’s heart. Not
loving the other sheep breaks the Shepherd’s heart.
Our Shepherd is Jesus Christ.
His heart has been grieving for a long time. So many pastors’
hearts have also been grieved by black sheep, those sheep that
wander around, and by goats. The Spirit of God is here to demand
the pastors to have a pastor’s heart. Those who have a pastor’s
heart are willing to lay down their lives for the sheep and carry
the cross all the way to Calvary. Pastors lay down their lives
for black sheep, white sheep, wandering sheep, and goats. God
is pleased with those pastors who lay down their lives for the
sheep; Jesus will carry them to green pastures. In His presence,
Jesus will strengthen His servants and mend their broken hearts.
---Excerpt from the introduction
of The Shepherd's Heart
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