If we say God is our Shepherd, we can safely say that we are His sheep, right?
And if He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep, we can again safely say that He is the One who leads our path.
Look at quickly Psalm 23.
Let me ask you: As sheep of Christ, can we suggest to our Shepherd, to Jesus, “a pasture” He needs to lead us to?
Oh, no, we can’t!
Have you ever heard sheep saying to their shepherd, “We don’t think this pasture is a good one for us. We know a better one down there?”
You haven’t because Sheep know nothing!
The only thing sheep are good at is following, and anything more than a “Follow me” instruction confuses them.
But sheep become followers after they do two things: They deny themselves (means, they accept no instruction from their own flesh as to how to do life but from their shepherd) and they pick up their cross (means, they pick up a name that has NO honor and prestige, “A FOLLOWER” – which signifies sheep with no identity and life apart from the shepherd they follow.
Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me..” Matthews 16:24 NASB
A person, who denies himself, picks up the cross, and follows Christ, is called a Christian, or better yet called, a disciple of Jesus Christ.
A person, who wears Christianity as a decorative coat while keeps a perfect church attendance, speaks perfect Christianize, knows all the Gospel songs but keeps his/her identity, means keeps his/her own values, preferences and lifestyles regardless of what the Bible says, is called “psuedo-Christian” for Christ knows them not.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;” John 8:27 NASB ///