When you see a flock of sheep grazing peacefully in a field, you probably think, “What a pretty sight.” Few of us look at those peaceful animals and think about how hard it is sometimes to take care of them through the cold winter.
At this time of year, sheep are growing long, thick wool coats to keep them cozy and warm through the winter. In the spring when the lambs are born in the fields, they sometimes die because it is still too cold. They do not have warm, woolly coats when they are born. So if they arrive while there is still snow on the ground, some usually die.
Sometimes a mother sheep will die, leaving a little lamb without a mother to nurse it. The shepherd then has to find a way to save the little lamb so it will not die, too. He can either try to feed it himself, or find another mother sheep to take care of it. However, usually no other sheep will accept the lamb, because it is not her own.
Now what do you suppose the shepherd does? He looks over his flock to see if there is a mother sheep whose own baby lamb has died. He finds her poor dead lamb, removes its skin, and carefully places it over the body of the living lamb that has lost its mother. It is just like putting on a coat. The shepherd then takes the poor little orphan lamb to the mother sheep that has just lost her own baby. She sniffs the lamb all over, smelling mostly the coat of her own dead lamb. She decides that it must be her lamb and “adopts” (accepts) it as her own.
This gives us such a good example of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for those of us who have accepted Him as our Saviour. The Lord Jesus is that Lamb who died on Calvary’s cross for us. Because of all that He did there for us, we can read in Isaiah 61:1010I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10), “He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.” God the Father accepts us, not because there is anything good in us, but because He sees us wearing the “coat of salvation” that the Lord Jesus has given to us. What a wonderful Saviour we have! Have you thanked Him today for dying on the cross so you could be saved and can live with Him in heaven?
ML-09/25/1983