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So how do we resolve this problem of finding ourselves “crossing the line”? (You may be upset at me once you find out you’ve waited two days for this “big news”.)
Well, again, there are ONLY TWO possibilities. One possibility is that we are a goat. After all, the stuff on the left side of the line is how God describes goats. Goats are real. Some of them may at time dress up like sheep but if their life is described by the things on the left side of the line…yep…they’re still goats.
The other possibility is that we are a sheep who has strayed across the line. Remember, sheep am dumb.
So how do you know which one you are? Brace yourself…here’s the big finale!
Answer: REPENTANCE
Repentance is that very real and meaningful action where we realize that we’ve crossed the line and we’re grieved about it. So, we turn ourselves around and hoof it back over to the Good Shepherd as quickly as we can. He’s so good to us that He’ll come looking for us and call us back. If you belong to Him, you’ll hear His voice and follow Him back home where you belong. Genuine repentance in your life is an important key to knowing that you know the Lord as Savior.
What is NOT a possibility is going through life content to blur the line and somehow regard yourself as a sheep while being unrepentant about the “goat-like” behaviors that characterize your life.
I’m curious about what you’re thinking.
OK. Hopefully, you’ve read the previous post and done your “homework.” If not, why not do that now and then come back to this post. (After all, it’s not my voice you want to hear but His.)
On the left side of the line underneath “Goat”, you probably listed a bunch of things that included…
- doesn’t accept the things of the Spirit of God because it’s “foolishness”
- cannot understand spiritual things
- “sets his mind” on things of the flesh/things on earth
- does not and cannot yield to the law of God
- may “say” he knows God but if he is not obedient to God, he’s a liar
- loves the things of the world (stuff that feels good, looks good, and makes him look good)
On the right side of the line underneath “Sheep”, you probably included things like…
- examines/thinks about things of the Spirit (has the mind of Christ)
- in fact, “sets his mind” on the Spirit/eternal things
- putting to death the deeds of the body
- considers his body to be dead to immorality, impurity, etc.
- obeys God’s Word
So…the Shepherd has said some things VERY clearly. When He talked about the broad road and the narrow road, He only described TWO possibilities. When He talked about the separation of all the nations at Christ’s second coming, He only allowed for TWO possibilities. And now, when He describes the kinds of life that people can live in the passages that you read yesterday, once again, only TWO possibilities.
God has clearly drawn a line between the two and He sees clearly the differences. However, don’t we tend to want to blur the line? Some would even say there really is no line and in the end everybody will benefit as a sheep. But obviously, they have not heard that from Our Shepherd. He has drawn the line and He is not inviting debate about where He has placed it. So why does the line make some so uncomfortable?
I’d be interested in what you’re thinking, but finally here’s my thought. The honest sheep among us look across the line to the left side of the page and in our hearts know that sometimes…too often…we could be described by some of the things on the wrong side of the line. We tell ourselves it shouldn’t be like that, but it is. So, what does that mean?
Well, some choose not to be concerned. They convince themselves that since it is a common problem with everybody that it’s nothing with which to be concerned. They may even tell themselves that God just wants them to be “happy.” And so, in their eyes, the line that God has drawn has now been blurred. They soothe the momentary uneasiness of their heart by thinking back to a time in their past when they performed some religious rite and convince themselves that because of that past event the line that God has clearly drawn does not really apply to them. And so, in their eyes, the line is blurred even more.
But, truthfully, it is only “in their eyes.” The line is still there. God has not moved it. It appears blurry only when we lose our focus.
In the next post, I’ll share with you the only way I know to regain a proper focus.
Listening still…
As we’ve talked about before, sheep and goats are different.
I’ve read that sheep bleat a “baaa” sound while goats make more of a “maaa” sound. Of course, since each is a completely different species of animal from the other, you probably would expect that there are other differences. You would be right. But my thought today is not really about animals…it’s about us.
There are four passages I looked at recently. These four came to mind as I was trying to listen for the Shepherd the other day. They compare and contrast “goats” from “sheep” even though the passages use different names for them. Here’s what I’d like you to do. If you don’t have time now, come back when you do.
Take a sheet of paper and make two columns on it. Be sure to draw a line right down the middle. At the top of the left column write “Goat” and at the top of the right column write “Sheep”. Now read through the passages listed below and under “Goat” write down everything that you learn about the “natural man” or the person who “lives according to the flesh” (in other words, the Goat). And as you read, write down everything that you learn about the “spiritual man” or the person who “lives according to the Spirit” in your “Sheep” column.
Now, remember…1) Don’t forget to actually draw a line between your columns and 2) Be sure to write EVERYthing even if you don’t quite understand it. We’re not trying to understand everything just yet. We just want to HEAR His voice.
Here are the passages:
I’ll be back tomorrow to check in on what you heard.
Listening with an open heart…
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