Stay In Step with the Spirit

February 20th, 2024
by Pastor John Grunditz

John 10:22–42

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand."
John 10:27–29 (ESV)

I have really benefited by our study of John 10 and the Good Shepherd, probably because of my vocation as a pastor/shepherd.

But one thing I’ve learned is that the sheep have a unique relationship with their shepherd. It is not that the sheep can take care of themselves pretty well but occasionally need a little help, but they need the shepherd’s help all day, every day, and for all of their needs.

I wondered this weekend if we tend to look at Him for help only when needed. This would probably be subconscious but could be a very subtle trap to slip into. It would explain some of the struggles in our Christian walk.

We have an older cat (which we’re pretty fond of). In thinking about the sheep-shepherd relationship, it seems to me that the cat is more of a sheep. We take care of all her needs, so she just needs to walk closely to us, keeping her eye on us, and things get taken care of. It reminded me of Galatians 5:25b, which tells believers to “stay in step with the Spirit.”

So it is step by step, close to Him, and always listening and following.

In our technology age and with our affluence, we tend to plow ahead feeling like we can handle anything. But the truth is we need Him for help, directions, decisions, correction, and encouragement—all the time!

The good news of John 10 is that He is there for all we need. Maybe this is a new pattern for us to embrace. Why not start today?