Feeling Sheepish?

A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23- It's one of my favorite books by Phillip Keller. I highly recommend this rich yet easy read. I found it most sobering though… to learn about the nature and habits of sheep. (They are not the brightest animals off the ark..) I find it particularly disturbing that Jesus refers to His people (us) as the sheep of His pasture. (Don’t think for a moment this word picture was accidental!) God’s Word in Isaiah 53:6 tells us:

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way”

Though Jesus said... "I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me" ( John 10:14), Unfortunately our natures make it difficult to follow anyone. We don’t want to be led in paths of righteousness, we prefer our own paths though they lead us straight into trouble. Keller writes that "The stubborn, proud and self sufficient sheep persist in pursuing its old paths and grazing on used ground and drinking from polluted streams. He explains that left on their own "They would end up a bag of bones on a ruined land."

The bad news is that I can relate to those sheep . I know the broken places that have resulted from the times I’ve made poor choices in my life. Broken places look different for each of us. Perhaps our health is broken due to bad choices, or our finances, or our relationships or emotions have been damaged. Maybe it’s a broken dream, a broken heart or home. Like sheep we’ve all been wayward. We’ve all pursued a pasture of useless fodder that has left us with our hurts, hangups and habits.

The Good news is that wherever we find ourselves today, we have a Good Shepherd who desires to help turn us around, move us to higher ground , to truly greener pastures… if we would but only follow.

The week of September 27th kicks off Life Growth Groups and I don’t want you to miss this great opportunity!! The entire " flock" at The Grove will be studying life principles from Matthew 5 in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We will be reading Life’s Healing Choices by John Baker. The study focuses on Jesus' teachings on the life choices that bring health hope and healing to our lives. I believe that God longs to empower each one of us to make healing choices that will bring us even greater freedom from life's hurts, hangups and habits.

Don't miss out!!! even if you've never been in a group before, there's no need to feel “sheepish” !!! There are SEVEN different group options to choose from, to accommodate most any schedule. Come join the rest of us "Grovers" and bring a friend!


'See you at the sign-up table!!
Peggy