Based on John 10:7-21 (New King James Version)
“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. ‘Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.’ Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, ‘He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?’ Others said, ‘These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’”
Through the centuries, there have been an endless number of gods, deities, idols, leaders, and spiritual guides; whether they came from man’s imagination, or demonic or Satanic manifestations, or men that have raised themselves up, or men that have been raised by others. For example, there have been such like Amon, the chief god of Egypt; Asherah, a Canaanite goddess; Ashtoreth, the goddess of war and fertility; Baal, a Canaanite and Phoenician god of fertility and rain; Baal-Zebub, a popular deity of the Philistines; Bel or Marduk, the chief deity of Babylon; or the son of Marduk, Nebo, the god of learning and writing; Chemosh, the chief god of Moab; Dagon, a deity worshipped by the Babylonians and Philistines; Molech, the chief deity of Ammon; Tammuz, a Babylonian fertility god; Zeus, the principal god of the Greeks; Mercury, a Roman god; Artemis or Diana, a Greek goddess, Castor and Pollux, the two sons of Zeus that were viewed as the guardian deities of sailors. And now, in more modern times, we have Muhammed, the chief prophet of Allah; Buddha, a good teacher made god by many Asians, and well, there is a much longer list. And each one of them bring along their own religious rules and pagan rituals. Each one demands different types of sacrifices and gifts to obtain their favor, or at least, they require an immovable loyalty. Each one of these deities o gods emphasize human decadence or destruction, from those that perpetuate fornication and adultery, to those that demand for newborn babies to be burned alive on a stone altar. These are part of the shepherds and guides of which the Lord spoke of.
There also exists false shepherds or pastors (and teachers) within the called “believers” in Christ; the hirelings. This is the person that supposedly serves God, but only for the interest of making money. These are the folks that use the name of God for their own convenience. And here is also a long list of people, and many exist today as well; too many in all reality (but praise be to God, that not all are like that; that there are still some who serve faithfully in the ministry). Today, many have turned the ministry into a money-making machine, by taking advantage of the ignorance and innocence of many new believers or unlearned. There are many people like these that instead of getting a job or a career and working like many of us do, they see the opportunity to take advantage of others and live off their good will and effort. This is what the Word teaches regarding those that look for money and well-being in the ministry, for their own convenience: “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:3-10. So then, if we see greed and bad teaching, we should take some distance from them. We cannot stay next to a hireling because godliness cannot become a means of gain, and least of all, it cannot be supported as such either.
Now then, let’s get back to the main point, to Him that makes everything different. Who is like our Lord Jesus Christ! None of the other deities can compare to Him. He is the God of love, of comfort, of mercy, and of goodness. Instead of bringing judgment upon our heads for all of our sin, He made the greatest sacrifice to pay for them. Instead of punishment, He offers forgiveness and eternal salvation. He will never abandon you. He will always be with you, if you remain in Him. And the other great difference with all the rest is that He not only died, but also, was raised from the dead at the third day and is now sitting at the Right Hand of the Throne of God, of the only true God; to Him be all glory, and power, and majesty forever and ever. Amen. For it is written: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.’” John 11:25-26a. The Lord is the only one that can give us eternal life because He is the only one that triumphed over death.
Having said all of this, where is your faith (truly)? Do you believe more in other things, in other people, in other deities, in riches, in yourself, more than in Jesus? Is the Lord in all reality the principal figure within your life, in your heart, and above all things? Are you returning His love faithfully? In the end, not only is He the only One worth following, but also, immovable faith and love in Him makes it possible to see great things in our life and around us. For it is written: “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’” John 11:40.
So then, do you really believe in and are following faithfully the Shepherd that is like no other? Lord bless! John