⏱ 11 min read

• Dairies of an individual or profession, are the stories or daily activities that are associated with their lives and profession.
• John 10 holds in-depth truth for both sheep and shepherds in God’s Kingdom; members and leaders. (We truly cannot exhaust all of it in one post…)
• So today, we will share just a few lessons from these precious words of Jesus the Good Shepherd! Let’s dig in:

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

• I love love this analogy by Jesus so so much. Remember, our model of life is Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and if He was sent as a shepherd, then we are being sent as shepherds also (John 20:21).
• Jesus starts with a very strong expression of complete authority and certainty about what He is going to say: “I assure you and most solemnly say to you…” (AMP).

“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 (v1-2).

The first thing Jesus wants us to be sure or certain of is that there is a right way to get access to God’s sheep; and there’s the way of thieves and robbers.

• There’s the deceptive cunning way to steal the hearts of people; that’s the thief...
• There’s a forceful or violent way to get to lead God’s people; that’s the robber.
• The thieves and robbers can also apply to false teachers who do not care to instruct God’s precious people, but abuse their innocence and their confidence for gain (either cunningly or with force).

Then Jesus says there is also the right way; entering by the gate – that is what the shepherd does. In verse 7 Jesus says: “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.”

• A true shepherd goes through Jesus for the people he/she is leading; that is the right way.
• If you lead people, don’t be cunning and steal the heart of the members; don’t blackmail and force the people; that’s not the right way.
• Also watch out if this is being done to you… please watch out and don’t fall for it. It is not the Jesus way!

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 (v3).

It is God who gives you access to His people and opens up their heart to you; that is when they will listen to you. We always tell our leaders to pray to God about His great and precious people in their care (2 Chronicles 1:10).

• Most of them don’t mind me, they think it’s a cliche or just one of those things. And each time they don’t pray, we see the effects of it – the struggle to lead effectively.

• Dear friend, God can make people listen to your voice… After Jesus spent time in prayer on the mountain, a voice from heaven said: “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Luke 9:35).
• God can cause the great and the small, the rich and the poor, the young and the aged to listen to you! (This is a very good prayer topic you should pray; and especially for leaders).

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 (v3).

“He calls his own sheep…” The use of ‘his own’ seems to indicate a personal thing – it belongs to me; something I am affectionate about; it is a part of me; I am responsible for it.

• When God gives you people to care for, let them be a part of you. Let them be personal to you and intertwine them with your life.
• Don’t compartmentalize them; rather incorporate them into your life. Own the responsibility God gives you.
• When someone is a brother, son, daughter, mother, or someone personal to you, you don’t think twice about caring for them. God’s people are your family.

Know their lives, know their families; relate with them on a personal level as you would your own family (at least try; because some may not want that). Jesus said: “my family is whoever does the will of the Father.” These are your family; bonded together by the Superior Blood of Jesus!

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 (v3).

“He calls his own sheep by name…” The personal care or endearment Jesus describes between the sheep and the shepherd is further enhanced by having a name for the sheep.

• Your sheep should be so personal or dear to you that they have particular names (everyone has some names that your close family call you by…)
• Know their names – all of it (including nicknames, local names, pet names) – and even give them one if necessary.
• The name ‘Peter’ is a personal name Jesus gave to Simon (John 1:42). Jesus called James and John the sons of thunder (Mark 3:17). How can you develop a personal relationship with the people God brings into your care?

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 (v3).

“He leads them out…” A shepherd must lead the people out to pasture, to graze, to drink, to exercise, to sheer their wool, etc. Basically, you must gather them to all these important activities for their lives.

• Dear friend, lead people to grow in God, lead them to pray, lead them to study the word, lead them to encounter the Holy Spirit… Gather them for these crucial life needs.
• Anything that will be helpful to them, the shepherd must lead them there! And if you’re a sheep who perhaps have been neglected in such things, God is instructing you through this.

Examples in a church setting will be to lead all your members to all services: Sunday; midweek; prayer service; special programs; camps; quiet time challenges; etc., anything you know will be helpful to them, you must lead them there!

• Note: He doesn’t ask them out; it’s not a date! He doesn’t drive them there; they are not trotro mates! (lol I tried some bars). The shepherd leads…
• He/she is leading them out of bondage, out of addictions, out of fear and intimidation, out of poverty, lead them out into green pastures!

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice (v4).

Again this links to the end of the previous point. And what did Jesus say: when he has brought out some of his own? a few of his own? No!! ALL of his own! Let this be our greatest desire and aim as God’s shepherds:

• to bring out ALL of our own to good pasture, still waters, paths of righteousness; restoration of soul (Psalm 23).
• How many people are you bringing to good pasture? How can you work on bringing out ALL?

“He goes on ahead of them…” The shepherd must go ahead of the sheep to know where to take them. This speaks of someone who is proactive, seeking where the good stuff/pasture are for the people.

• Honestly, we cannot exhaust this point fully today but be someone who goes ahead of the people physically, mentally and spiritually.
• A very simple layman’s physical example could be this: be at every meeting before your sheep gets there.
• Get there ahead of them; it is a bad thing for your sheep to go ahead of you, and you later come to meet them (eg. imagine asking an actual sheep to go to the local market, that you are coming…)

Go ahead of the pack in commitment, in developing skill, in studying, in reading, in giving, etc. Know about the path (role) more, so you can help the others get there too.

• Develop yourself; read; learn new things; find out solutions, be a pacesetter!
• In spiritual issues, go ahead of them to God in prayer. Get ahead in the study of God’s word; Get ahead in giving! “I press towards the mark of the high calling”
• Make it a point to strive for higher… that is the only way you can lead them to a higher level. “You cannot lead people to a place you have not been.”

When we go ahead, it also means we will discover the challenges and problems on the way and be able to help them avoid them or better guide them when they get there.

One day, one of my choir members asked me to teach him the keyboard, and he said he didn't want to play with transposition or transpose (I used to play only in key C and I'd transpose for the other keys).
I asked him to give me two weeks, just so I could go ahead of the lessons in the other keys, to master them, to note the common mistakes, see what he will likely struggle with, etc., before he comes.

• Oh my, so much more to unpack but we will just have to end here today (at v4).
• Dear friend, I really want to encourage you to read John 10. I believe the Holy Spirit will add on to the little we’ve shared with you.

May the Lord help us be good shepherds to His precious people. Grace and peace be multiplied to you! Heyy… you’re blessed and highly favored and dearly loved!