Fellowship is great!  In fact, it’s Biblical!  And I love hanging out with other believers.  It’s therapeutic, it’s healthy, and it’s fun!  Spending time with other sheep is great, but spending time with The Shepherd is best!  It is all of those things I just mentioned, and even more.     

Psalm 100:3 (NKJV) sums it up perfectly:

Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;[a]
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

So, here are three takeaways, in reverse order:

We Are Sheep

The third line simply says, we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.  This is a marvelous revelation regarding His Lordship in our lives.  We are not alone in this giant, great big world.  The Shepherd loves His sheep, He cares for them, and He will do whatever it takes to protect them.  In fact, there’s a great book that everyone should read called A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23.

We Are Made By Him

This seems like an innocent line, but I would venture to say that there are more people in this world that relish the fact that they are self-made, as opposed to being God-made.  Yes, there is absolutely something to be said about any man or woman that has beaten all of the odds, and has made something of themselves.  Nevertheless, let us not forget that “We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us.” It’s almost as if the scripture is implying that we can do a lot of things on our own, but through Christ, our heavenly designer and maker, we can do ALL things!  So, some is good, most is great, but all things are best!

We Are Not God

I know, I know, none of us really think we are…but…our actions sometimes speak otherwise.  How can I jump to this conclusion?  Well, because we sometimes deal with situations in life as if we are capable of doing things that only God is capable of doing.  Trying to figure things out and fix them on our own.  Still don’t believe me?  Then think about this saying that you sometimes hear church folk say: “When you’ve tried all that you can, then try Jesus”.  Really?  So, God isn’t your first option?  He’s what you finally resort to?  Your last, final effort at salvaging a situation?  I think Craig Groeschel summed it up best in his book, The Christian Atheist, where the thesis is that: we believe in God, but live as if He doesn’t exist.  Quite an indictment of our faith, or lack thereof, in God.

So, let me be very clear.  Spending time with other sheep is fantastic.  It adds tremendous value to your life.  But, make no mistake about it.  Spending time with The Shepherd is always best, and it’s always appropriate.

So, if you haven’t already, take a few minutes today, maybe on your lunch break, or when you pull in your driveway after a long day of work, and just think about the goodness of The Shepherd.  Meditate on His benevolent favor in your life.  Just spend some time with The Shepherd.

For the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @ChurchA2Z.