Viewpoint
By Randy Cole
Making Disciples by Shepherding
The Comfort Zone
John 10 Verse 4a "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them," (NASB)
In the past four months, we have covered the Sheep Fold, the Sheep Pen, the Door, and the Voice. The next aspect of "shepherding" that we'll unpack is the concept of our Comfort Zone.
Let's think about the sheep pen. First the good:
- It provides protection for the sheep.
- It is a safeguard against predators and thieves.
- It is a place where you know the shepherd is very close by in cases of emergencies and/or attacks.
- It is a place where you know all of the other sheep!
Then the bad:
- It is barren and trampled down.
- Nothing will grow there, and any water will be polluted by urine and feces.
- Therefore, the sheep cannot be fed and watered within the sheep pen.
- Without food and water, the sheep will wither and die.
The Good Shepherd always knows what is best for His sheep. Every day, our Good Shepherd tries to lead us out of our nice, comfortable, safe enclosures to places that He has appointed for us, to perform the works that he has prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10). The only way we get spiritual food and water - the building blocks for growth - is to be "put forth", in pastures of His choosing. He continues to lead us out of our comfort zones. He wants to expose us to places, cultures, religions, countries, and people that are unfamiliar and quite possibly "uncomfortable". Why?
- To increase our faith
- To make us totally rely on Him to put us in the right place at the right time so that we can make an impact on individuals that He leads us to.
- To send us to lost sheep - sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36, Matthew 10:6)
- To prepare us for works of service to build up the body of Christ, and so that we grow and become mature. (Ephesians 4:12-13)
- To reflect His glory as we are being transformed into His image. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
But let's be honest. We resist the leading of our Shepherd. We are stubborn, selfish, and pre-occupied with our own self-interests. We indulge in self-pity and boredom. We want to stay within our comfort zone, even if it is dry, drab, barren, and polluted. We are deaf, blind, and unfeeling to the needs of the world around us. We forget the first and last parts of the Great Commission: "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me".....and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18b, 20b). So why are we afraid? Why do we resist? Do we really believe that Jesus is with us every step of the way? Do we trust Him?
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