Our Heavenly Father Cares – March 30, 2025
“I will be like a shepherd looking for His scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.” -Ezekiel 34:12
Our identity, courage, confidence, joy, happiness, and peace remain steadfast when we use our faith to believe that Christ, our Shepherd loves us. Understanding God’s love keeps us spiritually grounded.
Our responsibility is to accept our role as sheep who willingly follow their Shepherd. We use our faith to stay connected to God, study the Scriptures daily, and maintain a life of much prayer which reinforces our spiritual bond with Jesus Christ. Loving God more than ourselves is the must have attribute of a follower.
The parable of Jesus, our Shepherd and His sheep reveals the spiritual bond that we have with Christ when we accept Him as our personal Savior. Loving and trusting the Shepherd produces the desire to follow Him. Whether the season is dark and stormy or peaceful, the Shepherd never leaves His sheep.
Jesus’ commitment was proven on Calvary’s Cross: “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.” -Isaiah 53:6, NLT
Even when we walk away from the Good Shepherd, Jesus never forsakes His sheep. Before a believer sins, the Holy Spirit speaks to us through our conscience. At that point, we have the choice to pray and renounce the temptation, or we ignore the Holy Spirit, and fulfill our heart’s desires.
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.” -Jeremiah 31:3
In our state of rebellion, Jesus still searches for us by knocking on the door of our hearts. Through the Holy Spirit, our Shepherd calls us to return, yet, we are never coerced into returning to Christ. Sin is the decision to use our gift of free will to rebel against God. Often it is the plight of suffering consequences that causes us to desperately seek our Shepherd.
God’s Never-ending Love: With a prayer of repentance, we are forgiven, and that is the beauty of God’s grace and mercies.
“As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ He told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.” -Matthew 9:9, NIV
Jesus has proven His unconditional love for us and it is time to decide whom we will serve. Our Shepherd is committed to leading us through the rigorous journey of our earthly lives. With the spirit of humility and faithful obedience, we can receive the Heavenly reward of Eternal life.
Following the Shepherd [Jesus] requires the lifelong commitment to seek and obey His perfect will. Faithful sheep demonstrate their love for Christ through daily surrender, unwavering trust, and obedience, and will be greatly rewarded.
Lord God, we desire to follow You with love and dedication, and ask you to forgive us for our sins of rebellion. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray, Amen.
© 2025 STEPS 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions Ministry
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 
You must be logged in to post a comment.