“The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. John 10:2-6 (NIV)
Christ’s words here ring in our ears in such a sweet and affectionate manner do they not? He calls us by name, we belong to Him – the all sufficient One. He, Who spoke the world into being, is our Father – He is our very satisfying portion. The world cannot fully satisfy our senses much less our souls. With worldly things, we may have too much but we never enough. The world will always be found wanting. Only with God as our portion is there true soul satisfaction and contentment.
Further, it is not our hold on Jesus it is His hold on us. No one can snatch us out of His loving scarred hands. We are both safe and dearly loved. Indeed, He has loved us with an everlasting love and drawn us with loving-kindness. We stand amazed at His welcoming heart. Yet, we so often buck at His right to lead us. The servant obeys his master, the soldier follows his captain, so we must follow our Redeemer to who we are a purchased possession. All His paths end in glory and immortality. The roads can be rough and peril filled to the “city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Yet truly, “All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant.”
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30 (NIV)
But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)