Sometimes it helps a bit to be able to laugh at yourself, yes there will be many disputes and sure many battles should be fought. But some things can well be left unsaid.

I think this will be my text for the week.
Hebrews 13: 1 Keep on loving each other as brothers….

John 10
The Shepherd and His Flock
1″I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

This for me is a very comforting picture of God. It is a very gracious portrayal of our saviour who is not only the means but the journey of our salvation. Sometimes you need to lay down your load and let God carry you. These are humbling times, suffering may be part of the process but God would have you rather minus one arm than let you carry on in sin recklessly. The story of the shepherds of old illustrates this wonderfully. If a lamb would go astray continually and willfully, they would break its leg. Bandage it and carry it, that way it would be kept safe with the flock. That way it also learnt not to stray from the flock. That would be a good picture of Christ and the church.
I think I am most comforted byt this verse in the text ‘ He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” God knows my name. Now in this world that is signifigant. C.S. Lewis said in his essay, “The weight of Glory” that God “notices” people and saves them, not that he does not see them altogether, but some he sees with the eye to save and show His mercy. If that sounds like the doctrine of election to you, well you are right.
The other part of the text is also a warning “the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber”
There are those who pretend there is another way to Christ, but Christ is the door, the gate and the way. There is no other hope for the sinner. So I must say to you as I must say to myself today. “Look to Christ” Fill your vision with His glory and majesty and let yourself be guided by the good shepherd, who has given his life for his sheep.