Don't Be Like a Stupid Sheep

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:6)

When I was born, I started with a sin free clean slate. However, the older I got, the more I lost my way, and my slate began to fill up. Like almost every other young idiot in the world, I followed the crowd around and did whatever they did. If they wanted to party, then I partied. I’m really not sure, if they jumped off a cliff, I might have jumped too. I guess I was just showing my immaturity but until Jesus came into my life, I never matured past that life.

I thought I was in charge of my life. However, my desire to find some kind of happiness is what was really leading me around. That pursuit of happiness was really a search for God, I just didn’t realize it at the time. I’m sure that is everyone’s real quest through life because we all have this hole in their hearts that only Jesus can fill. We all think we’re going to fill up that hole with the material and carnal pleasures this world has to offer. The plain truth is, only Jesus can fill that hole, because that hole was designed by God. He puts in us the desire to fill it. He does everything he can to make us choose Jesus except to force us. He leaves it up to us to decide.

I know I didn’t want to follow the plan God laid out for my life. I thought I knew better than to choose a God I couldn’t see over the pleasures of this world. I looked upon Christianity as a set of rules to ruin my fun. One DON’T right after another to tell me what I couldn’t do anymore. I resisted with every ounce of my being until I was 44 years old and at rock bottom in my life. I realized my decision to go my own way would only led me to the eternal punishment of hell, which is exactly where I deserved to go.

I still deserve to go there, however, God loves me so much that he has provided a way to come back to the plan he has for me. That way is through Jesus Christ and him alone. God took every sin you and I would ever commit and laid them on Jesus as he hung on the cross. All we have to do is repent, acknowledge Christ as Lord and be baptized. Could it be any easier than that? It’s only difficult because we don’t want to relinquish control and give him lordship of our lives. Don’t be a fool, like I was, and wait any longer. Call on Jesus today! Hallelujah!

Dear God, you are enthroned in the highest heaven. All the glory and honor belongs to you. Your angels worship you and obey your every decree without question. Father, you paid a terrible price to set us free from the bondage we are all subject to. You sacrificed a part of your triune nature on the cross, and upon his bleeding body, you laid the sins of the world. Oh God, we wish there had only been another way because it was our sins that you laid on Jesus. It was our iniquities he was paying the ultimate price for. Just like a stupid sheep, we trot away from Jesus, our shepherd, in search of greener grass. Just like stupid sheep, the shepherd has to come looking for us. Father forgive us for our trespasses, our debts to you. We want to make you rejoice at your decision to save us. Please, give us a tongue to speak your truth to anyone who needs to hear it. Don’t let us prejudge who will be accepting based on how they look. In other words, give us a heart like Jesus. It’s in his name, we pray. Amen!