With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments..

Psalm 119:10

Seeking God and obeying might sound like a really simple or basic premise; however there are so many examples in God’s Word who chose not to obey God.  As a matter of fact, it might surprise some, but those who chose to obey is the exception rather than the majority.

We really should adhere and obey God, for so many reasons, but the main one being, “it pleases the Father so much.”  He tells us to do it throughout His beautiful “Word”  — I would truly imagine that nothing pleases Him more than seeing His children diligent in their search for His face and understanding of His Word, or Voice.

In Genesis 22:1- 2… is one such example of obedience and trust, displayed by Abraham.  God gave an instructive course of action for him to pursue and complete, and He obeyed unconditionally without hesitation.

“And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, “Abraham” and he said, “behold here I am” And He said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

(Genesis 22:1-2)

Jesus was and is God’s only begotten Son, He would later offer His Son for the sins of the world.  But in this case, God wanted to see and test Abraham’s faith, trust, and obedience.  He passed the test with flying colors if you will. And, he was rewarded openly.

There is a spiritual war going on at all times. God wants to be able to depend on His children, and in so doing will protect and reward us openly.   In Abraham’s situation he didn’t ask any questions.  He went to Mount Moriah, also known as Golgatha and Calvary.  This is where God would allow His Son to be sacrificed some nineteen hundred years later.  For us…

God offered His Son, and Jesus obeyed. Jesus willingly spilled His blood for the sins of the world. Jesus obeyed God…His Father.  Obedience without hesitation.  The obedience of Abraham to God was foretelling of what was to come.  His obedience would lead to generations from his seed to bring the Messiah into the world to “save us.”  His obedience was rewarded…his son was spared, and through his lineage would come the Messiah.

Behavior always will  have consequences.  The difference is that certain behaviors can have repercussions that aren’t pleasant.   When we behave according to His will and obey His word…the rewards are boundless.

Consider this,  not only was Abraham’s son Isaac spared and saved by obedience… so too were we. Amen~

 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, “By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That is blessing I will bless the, and in myltiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore: and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies: And in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed: because thous hast obeyed My voice.”

(Genesis 22:15-18 )

“For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, And shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes…”   ( Revelation 7:17)

You know the Egyptians didn’t associate with Shepherds believing they were the lowly and not worthy.  When I think about a Shepherd Jesus Christ comes to my mind immediately, as I’m quite sure most of you will agree.  The other two are Moses, and we all know what he accomplished through God…leading his people from slavery through the desert for 40 years.  And, then the other, of course, is David.  A poor Shepherd boy who stood up to Goliath and slew him…not because he was strong, but because his faith in God was strong.

But, let’s go back to the Lamb of God…the Head Shepherd…our Shepherd…Jesus Christ.

Sheep need constant tending for they will wander off.  They’re not the most intellectually capable of animals ( or so it’s be said) and they keep their heads down while grazing and could wander off in the process, or get lost if there isn’t a good shepherd tending to them.  A good shepherd will watch, lead and guide the little sheep, big and small, keeping them in the pasture so they won’t get lost.

Jesus Christ is our Head Shepherd and watches over us, tends to us, and will keep us safely in His pasture.  And, should one get lost…He will rejoice when He comes home and is “found” and no longer lost.  Like the “sheep” who get lost when their head is down, so too can we become “lost” in this world if we’re not diligent and watchful.  We must keep our eyes on the Lord and become transfixed in His Word.

In John 10:27,  Jesus says:   My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  He also tells us in Matthew 25:32   “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:”   

We will stand before Him one day and He will know His sheep as we know Him.  The tender loving Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep…Our Shepherd.

He neither leaves us nor forsakes us. He is the same as He was since the beginning of time.  He is always there for us. Always.  When we listen, obey and observe…we will “hear His voice” for He always has something to say…if we “know Him” we will “hear Him.”

Jesus, Son of man.  The Lamb of God. Our Head Shepherd. Our  King.  

Our Protector.

Our Defense.

Our Rock.

Our Redeemer.

Our Lord.

Our Everything.

Our Companion.

Our Confidant.

Our Counselor.

Jesus Christ. Born into humble surroundings for us. He could have chose to be born into luxurious surroundings but chose the complete opposite.  Why?  To walk as man in order to be the propitiation for our ugly sin of the world.

Now that’s love personified.

Do you call upon Him? Do you feel His presence?

 Are you a sheep? Or are you a goat?

Do you know His voice?

Listen, then fall in love…

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When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  (Matthew 25:31-34)

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If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.       (2 Chronicles 7:14)