The Real Shepherd

As I was thinking about John 10:1-42 and the theme of false shepherds and the real Shepherd - Jesus, in case that was unclear :-) - I really got to thinking about how important it is for us to choose our leaders wisely!!  I have served under great leaders and poor ones…and ones in-between.  I have also thought how critical it is that we really choose our friends (the people who we really live life with!) wisely also.  If we want to be more like Jesus, then the people who will have the most influence on our lives (to the extent that we can have some say into this), should reflect this Good Shepherd’s personal make-up.  If we want to be courageous (Jesus was the most courageous human to ever walk on this planet!), then we need to select people who exhibit courage!  If we want to combine grace with courage…and wisdom and humility, then we should look for people with those kinds of traits, or who really pursue the development of those virtues.  We are so shaped by the people over us and around us.  And in John 10, we see Jesus giving us the ultimate Person whom we should model ourselves after…but being rooted in community means that we are called to look for people who love Jesus and live like Him to shape our own lives.  Paul even told the Corinthian church - “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)  Choose wisely then, because there is a lot of fake and flimsy in this world!