“The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them; and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

The Romans could not understand why anyone but beggars and lepers would want to follow Christ. Christianity demands humility, but the Roman culture cultivated pride.
Romans actually hated anyone who showed weakness. They challenged their own gods! This is interesting history, until you realize that it is also current events. I am and always
will be at odds with the world. I pray that I can be a sheep, a simple happy beast following the will of the benevolent shepherd. My shepherd is Christ. I may be a headstrong sheep
and I may stray from the flock, but the good shepherd will always accept me when I return. The world is fun and very tempting. I know that the good shepherd will give me
the strength to resist it.

JESUS, SPEAK TO ME SO THAT I CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE. I AM YOUR SHEEP AND WILL FOLLOW YOU. PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR STRAYING
AND GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO RESIST A WORLD THAT IS AT ODDS WITH MY BELIEFS. AMEN.

– Shared by Beau Franke