I AM HIS - part 2

Yes. It is the LORD - Jehovah Rohi who is my Shepherd - and I am HIS. I belong to Him. Here's what He tells me:

Thus says the LORD, who created you and He who formed you, O Beverly: 

Fear not, for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by your name.

You are mine. 

Isaiah 43:1

When shepherds take ownership of certain sheep, they are often known to mark them in a distinguishing way  so that it's easy to determine, even from a distance, to whom the sheep belongs.

The sheep in this picture display several different identification methods. Some have certain colors of spray paint on their fleece. That's a temporary identification for those who will be sold at auction. The one in the center has a plastic ear tag. Look closely and you'll see the pliers on the left that are used to pierce the sheep's ear with the tag. This is probably the most common identifying method in use today, but, it too, can be temporary. The method used by serious shepherds who will maintain their flock for the life of the sheep is notching the sheep's ear with his own distinctive earmark.

Phillip Keller says: "The day I bought my first thirty ewes, my neighbor and I sat on the dusty corral rails that enclosed the sheep pens and admired the choice, strong, well-bred ewes that had become mine. Turning to me he handed me a large, sharp, killing knife and remarked tersely, 'Well, Phillip, they're yours. Now you'll have to put your mark on them.'
         It was not the most pleasant procedure to catch each ewe in turn and lay her ear on a wooden block then notch it deeply with the razor-sharp edge of the knife. There was pain for both of us. But from our mutual suffering an indelible lifelong mark of ownership was made that could never be erased. And from then on every sheep that came into my possession would bear my mark."

Isn't the parallel for those of us who belong to Christ - those of us who readily say "the LORD is my Shepherd - that there should be a distinctive mark upon our lives that differentiates us from the rest of the world?

I received a dog tag style necklace a few years ago as part of a bible study I participated it. Inscribed on the flat "tag" are the words "HOLY TO THE LORD."  I hung it on my mirror so that when I look at the reflection of myself each morning I am reminded that I am "HOLY TO THE LORD." The sad thing is, things we see all the time soon lose their impact on us. Today as I thought about that necklace, I began to wonder . . . . What kind of a difference would it make in the things I say if I visualized the words "HOLY TO THE LORD" written across my mouth?  What difference would it make in the foods I eat if I truly viewed my body as "HOLY TO THE LORD"?  What would change in the places I go if my feet were inside sandals that clearly said "HOLY TO THE LORD"?  What difference would there be in the things I do if my hands were marked "HOLY TO THE LORD"?

I truly believe that those of us who give allegiance to Christ's absolute ownership, there comes a question of bearing His mark. The mark of the cross, of course, is what should identify us with Jesus for all time. The question is - does it?

When Jesus said: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matt. 16:24), I really believe His tone must have been quite emphatic. Yet, many of us view His statement as merely a suggestion, like we do so many other commands in scripture. We think we can simply say "the LORD is my Shepherd" and somehow enjoy all the benefits of His care and provision without paying the price of forsaking our own foolish way of life.

We can't have it both ways. We try to - but it doesn't work. Either we belong to Him or we don't. Jesus Himself warned that there would come a day when many would say, " have we not . . . done many wonders in Your name?  And then I will declare to them, I never knew you ..." (Matt. 7:22-23)  That's a serious and sobering thought and I'll be honest - it makes me search my own heart and motives.

I know I belong to Him. I am HIS. But I also know how fickle and forgetful I am. And. SO. I ask myself:

• Do I really recognize His right to me?
• Do I respond to His authority?
• Do I truly acknowledge His ownership?

Ahh ... I am a stubborn and strong-willed sheep. I need His full-time supervision.

• For me - there is freedom and complete fulfillment in belonging to Him.
• For me - there is a sense of purpose and contentment because I am under His direction.
• For me - there is a definite sense of exciting adventure in belonging to Him.

With genuine gratitude, I can face the temptations that daily assault me and proudly exclaim, "the LORD is my Shepherd and I am HIS. I'm thrilled to belong to Him."