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John 10:27 - The Voice of God.

John 10:27 (KJV) My sheep hear my voice, and 
I know them, and they follow me:  

COMMENTARY PEARL

   In Scripture, God often refers to His 
people as sheep - which made me wonder what 
attributes I share with the reputedly dumb animal. 
   Sheep are born with the strong instinct 
to follow other sheep. Put a bold or curious 
one out in front and the rest will trail behind. 
Its called "flock mentality." All is well as 
long as the leader isn't heading for a patch of 
poisonous weeds or craggy cliffs. 
   Sheep are gregarious. They stay in a 
group while grazing and are highly agitated when 
left alone. They're vulnerable too; when on their 
own, they fall prey to predators. They're easily 
frightened and quickly scattered. 
   Sheep never walk a straight line. 
Instead, they wander and turn, looking behind them 
with first one eye and then the other. They also 
depend heavily on their acute hearing and keen 
sense of smell to warn them of enemies. 
   Do any of those traits sound familiar? 
People too have a flock mentality - only we call it 
peer pressure. If we don't pay close attention to 
our leaders, we'll follow them right into new 
ideas that pull us away from God's truth. Just 
like sheep, we are vulnerable when isolated, 
giving in more easily to temptation. We're prone to 
wander away from God and the church, spending less 
time in the Word, watching our lives unravel, and 
even blaming God for abandoning us when we were 
the ones who left. We need the accountability 
that comes from the body of Christ. Only then 
will we remember to look for answers in the Lord 
alone. Finally, like sheep, we face danger, so we 
need to be alert. Reading Scripture will keep our 
spiritual eyes and ears sharp. 
   I am a sheep! I'm going to stay in God's 
fold and stick close to the Good Shepherd. Where 
He goes, I'm going. I'll listen for His voice 
and run after Him when He calls. When the 
enemies come (false teachers, God mockers), I will 
be safe in Him. No one can ever snatch me away 
from my Shepherd. And when the day is over, I 
will lay my head on His feet and smile, content 
and full of thanksgiving for the new dawn 
coming. 
   Lord God, I know that I am like a sheep 
in so many ways. I am weak, easily frightened, 
a follower, vulnerable, with a tendency to 
wander away from what is good. Thank You for being 
the Good Shepherd who protects and cares for His 
sheep. Help me to train myself to know Your voice 
and listen for it. May I always stay close to 
You, my guide and protector. [Earth Psalms by 
Francine Rivers] 

COMMENTARY

   The world has almost always been a noisy 
place, but now more so than ever. We have access to 
a multitude of voices every minute of every 
day - through radio and TV, Internet and social 
media, and more. The public discussion has grown 
drastically larger and louder in our time. We're 
virtually bombarded with opinions and noise. 
   Some of these voices are easily 
recognizable, and we instantly know whether to listen to 
them or not. Some are more subtle; they blend 
into the background, come from a distance, or 
bubble up from questions and confusion in our own 
minds. Some are nice to us, and others are 
downright rude. But all of them compete for our 
attention. 
   Jesus gave us a profound illustration 
about shepherds and their sheep. Sheep may hear 
other shepherds calling out, but they have learned 
to recognize the voice of the one who guides 
them. They don't follow just any shepherd; they 
follow theirs. They may hear other voices, but they 
don't really hear them. They are tuned in to the 
distinctives of their master's call. When they hear it, 
they follow wherever he is leading. 
   Our goal is to be uniquely tuned in to a 
singular voice. We can do that because the Shepherd 
said He knows us - individually. He has taken 
time to communicate with us, learn our 
inclinations and characteristics, and appreciate us 
individually. We are drawn to Him because of that, and His 
voice resonates more deeply with us than any 
other. Because He cares for us, we care what He 
says. We know He's watching out for us. Our 
interests are best served by His will. 
   Ask God to fine-tune your hearing to His 
voice alone. You'll hear a multitude of other 
sounds, but they won't resonate with you the way His 
voice will. They are just noise. Let Him draw you 
into a learning process that will connect you 
with His heart and open your ears to hear. Know 
even before you ask that this is possible. In 
fact, it's promised. The Shepherd could not 
possibly leave you in silence. His voice is waiting 
to be heard. [The One Year Heaven On Earth 
Devotional by Chris Tiegreen] 

   Whose voice do you love to hear when you 
answer the phone? Your spouse? Your kids? A best 
friend you've had since school days? We all have 
caller ID these days and can usually know before we 
answer who's on the other end of the call. But I 
can remember that back before cell phones (yes, 
there were these ancient telephonic devices called 
"rotary phones" - you can google it), I wouldn't 
know who was going to be on the phone when I 
answered it. It could be a telemarketer, or it could 
be my sister Lisa, or it could be Amy. 
   Obviously, I would recognize my sister's 
voice or Amy's, and they could tell it was me from 
my deep, he-man voice growling back, "Hello?" 
Sometimes it's not so easy, though, even with caller 
ID. If there's a lot of ambient noise, like in a 
busy restaurant or at a big event, it can be hard 
to tell who you're talking to. 
   I worry that sometimes people today have 
so much background noise in their lives that 
they don't recognize God's voice when they hear 
it. With all the sound bites, songs, rants and 
raves, comments, and commentaries, it can be tough 
to find a few minutes to sit quietly with God. 
But becoming comfortable with stillness is 
essential if we're to recognize his gentle whisper. 
   Try to reduce the unnecessary noise 
around you today and listen for your Shepherd's 
voice. 
   Help me, God, as I become more intimate 
with you in prayer, to be someone who recognizes 
your voice. I want you to know me, and I want to 
follow you. [Daily Power by Craig Groeschel] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE


http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180613-0941.html 

EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF 
JESUS 

1st of 28: Divine Dining: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY 
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ 
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs