Dale Buchanan
Devotional #23 in 1 Peter
“For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:25 KJV)
Isaiah compares us human beings to sheep: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6 KJV).
Sheep are social creatures.
When faced with danger, they tend to flee, not fight.
Usually, when faced with danger, they will group together and thus protect each other.
They are followers.
They will follow a shepherd or a dominant sheep.
They will sometimes follow their leader without regard for their safety.
In Turkey in 2005, a leading sheep attempted to leap a 50-foot-deep ravine that was too wide.
He fell to his death, followed by 400 other sheep.
The dead sheep provided a cushion for the following 1100 sheep who survived the fall.
The sheep will follow a good or a bad leader.
They wander astray from the available safety under the shepherd’s care.
They go their own way to all the ruin that their waywardness brings.
They desperately need a Shepherd but don’t realize it.
The recipients of Peter’s letter had gone astray into sin, rejecting the safety the Shepherd was willing and able to provide.
But now they had turned back to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who herded, tended, fed, and guarded the flock, and Bishop (overseer) of their souls.
They recognized Him as the One who laid down his life for the sheep, who gave his life to pay for their sins.
They had returned to the only One who could meet their needs. They were safe in Jesus.
If you trust Christ as Savior, you can also be secure in Jesus.
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