www.bible.com/reading-plans/42932/day/3

I’m sure that when you were a child, you played the game “Follow the Leader.” There was great discussion among my friends whose turn it was to be the leader, but once that was decided, off we romped, twisting, turning, rolling on the ground and laughing as we went. The leader didn’t say anything; he just did actions which we did our best to follow.

Now that we are adults and following Jesus, we have to not only follow His actions but we have to also listen attentively for His voice. He called us His sheep and said plainly that we hear His voice and recognize it. It’s like when my husband calls on the phone. I know it is him because I know his voice well. That’s how we are supposed to know Jesus’s voice…immediately and well because we have spent time with Him, in prayer and in His Word. His actions are not ones of twisting and rolling around but rather they are actions of helping others, serving and leading others to know Him. As long as we are following Christ, we are on the right path. We don’t have to be concerned about getting lost on our journey to eternity because Christ is leading the way. Our task is to follow and not to stray off. As humans, it is easy to walk away and choose our own path, thinking that we know better or that we can do just this one little thing (sin) and then get back to following Jesus again. But straying leads not just us on the wrong path but others who have been looking to us for guidance may stray as well. We have to be ever aware that others are watching, some to see if this faith we profess is real and others to rejoice in our fall if it happens. Thus, we are called to follow closely to our Good Shepherd, not straying or lingering where we should not, but always moving forward behind Him in our march to our eternal destiny.