Devotions this week are based on Week 4 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
Ezekiel 34:7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
As Jesus teaches about himself as the Good Shepherd, he stands in contrast to all the bad shepherds that preceded him. Kings and priests in the nation of Israel were entrusted with the safety and spiritual care of the people. But yet, these individuals in these positions were not often using the position to care for and lead the sheep, but rather to use them for their own purposes.
The Lord sent Ezekiel to confront them and remove them for their sinful activity.
By the time Jesus arrived on the scene hundreds of years later, the condition wasn’t much different. The spiritual shepherds were not leading people closer to Jesus as the Messiah, but rather deeper into the deception that their personal righteousness would earn them a spot in heaven. They sounded good, but it was not the voice of the Good Shepherd.
So Jesus gave the warning: Not every voice comes from the Good Shepherd. “The one who does not enter by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).
That same stranger voice still exists today. It sounds like this. You are what you produce. You are what you achieve.
It shows up in the pressure to perform, to prove, to measure your worth by success. It tells you that your value rises and falls with your output.
At first, it can feel motivating. It pushes you to work harder and do more. But over time, it becomes exhausting. You are never enough because there is always more to prove.
Jesus offers something completely different. He does not use the sheep. He knows them.
When Jesus calls His sheep by name, He is not looking at what they produce. He is calling them personally. Their identity comes from belonging, not performing.
Think about a job where your value is tied only to results. If you perform well, you are praised. If you fail, you are forgotten. Now contrast that with a relationship where you are known and valued regardless of performance. One uses you. The other loves you.
That is the difference between the stranger and the Shepherd. Our relationship with God is not built on what we achieve, but on what Christ has done.
Reflect: Where am I listening to a voice that tells me I must prove my worth? How does Jesus’ voice speak differently to me?
Prayer: Jesus, free me from the need to prove myself. Help me rest in the truth that I am known and loved by You. Amen.