Deborah O Daniel (Toyin)
2 min
Updated: May 15, 2023
Atheists call Believers in Christ, "Baa|Baa!" meaning, dumb sheep. You need to be current and hanging out with young people a little to hear these things. Sheep are completely dependent on a shepherd for their needs. They follow as the shepherd leads - no questions asked. They do not care to know if the shepherd knows what he is doing or not. They just follow him. Sheep always need guidance and protection (the rod and staff). They are content to be led by the shepherd because they have faith in him. They are also usually clean because they are cared for.
Goats on the hand, are very stubborn. They do not like to be confined to a spot, and are never content with what they have. They walk with their tails held high (spiritually indicating pride), and are quite quarrelsome. Goats emit an offensive odour. They also eat what the sheep will avoid, for the simple reason that they have no value.
We are bound to find ourselves in the trap that Satan has set for us when we feed on just about anything without discrimination. Jesus Christ is our Great Shepherd (John 10:11, Hebrews 13:21, Psalm 23) and we are His sheep. Anyone who follows Him will find contentment in life. When we choose to do our own thing without Him, we miss it all, dear ones.
You have goat-like traits, if you heard of the Gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ and refused to accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. On the day of Rapture, He will take His sheep and leave the goats behind (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Goats that repent and choose to become sheep after they have been left behind on earth (post Rapture) will have another chance at a very high cost (as they will then risk being martyred - Revelation 6:9–11), while the stubborn ones will spend eternity in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:31-33; 41).
It is easy to be a sheep – just follow the Great Shepherd, His Word, and His ways. It is also very easy to be a goat. Pride and rebellion are some of the attributes that can earn a person goat-like traits.
Sheep are perceived to be dumb animals. Well, perhaps this is why they are not wild and getting into trouble in the first place. They seem dumb, but they know the trick. The truth of the matter is that they know who cares and has their interest at heart. They then follow this shepherd to their own advantage. As someone put it, "A sheep may look woolly-brained, but don't be fooled by its dumb expression."
May we be guided!
Firmly in His Grip,
Deborah O Daniel (Toyin)