Fridays Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

It doesn’t take a lot to satisfy sheep. They are one of the simplest and easiest creatures to care for. Give them good grass to eat and good water to drink and you will have a satisfied, happy sheep. Those people listening to Jesus would have understood what He meant when He said,

“They will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)

Every morning the shepherd would take the sheep out of the fold, lead them to green pastures where they could feed, eat, and rest.

In the evening, when the shepherd would lead the flock back to the fold he would give each of them a cool drink of water and then as they passed back into the fold he would check to see if they had any cuts or unwanted bugs or insects and he would apply medication (usually oil). He would also check to see if they picked up any thorns or burs and he would clean their coat. In other words, his job was to make sure the sheep were satisfied when they were up in the daytime and they were satisfied when they went down for the night.

Remember that Palestine for the most part is a very barren land. Good pasture and clean water was not easy to find. It was the job of the shepherd to make the sheep lie down in green pastures and to lead them beside still water. A good shepherd knows exactly what the sheep need and gives them what they need when they need it, so they won’t need anything else.

It is amazing that when you find the right door and you walk through it, you don’t want to go through any other door. When I opened the door of that chapel I knew that I had found the love of my life and I would not want anyone else. I knew when I opened the door of that seminary classroom, I had found my calling and I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I knew when I opened the door of this building this would be the last church I would ever pastor. I would never want to go anywhere else. As a nine year old boy, when I opened the door to Jesus Christ, I knew I had found my Lord and my Savior and I would never ever want to worship, serve, love, obey, or trust anybody else.