Following Happily: Sheeple? Thanks for the Compliment

Sheeple? Thanks for the Compliment

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Do you ever feel offended when you hear someone referred to as a sheeple? When we remember whom we follow and whose we are, we should be glad to acknowledge that we follow happily and feel thankful for the compliment.

Jesus said,

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand" (John 10:27-29).

Before this Jesus so spoke to those who do not believe, who mock the believers,

        “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I                        said unto you” (John 10:26).

In humility we should pray that those who so seek to offend will be able to be drawn into the fold. The Father loves them as well, and if they choose His Son, He will again choose them.

We All Represent the One Lost Sheep

The following is a guest post. It was written by my childhood friend, Heidi Ryan Skanchy, one year ago today. I had asked my Facebook friends to share one of their favorite scriptures, and why it is important to them. Here is the scripture that she shared:

Luke 15:2-7:

2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

3 ¶And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

After sharing those verses, she shared another quote. Here is what she wrote:

Bruce Hafen said in his book, The Broken Heart, that

"The lost sheep are not just the people who don't come to church ... The lost sheep is a mother who goes down into the valley of dark shadows to bring forth children. The lost sheep is a young person, far away from home and faced with loneliness and temptation. The lost sheep is a person who has just lost a critically needed job; a business person in financial distress; a new missionary in a foreign culture; a man just called to be bishop; a married couple who are misunderstanding each other; a grandmother whose children are forgetting her. I am the lost sheep. You are the lost sheep."

She then shared her testimony. Thank you, Heidi, for doing that. Sharing our testimonies invites the Spirit and confirming power to our words. Her testimony:

I will be eternally grateful for a Savior that loves me and is never too busy to be there for me. He is never so busy administering to the 99 that he can't help the one. His atonement is infinite and eternal. I feel his love and am so thankful.

Jesus Frees Us from the Puppeteers

Jesus Frees Us from the Puppeteers

(Image Source: genius.com)

It is interesting that in today’s world puppetry is so prized. We are born children of the Highest, with the opportunity to follow Him and have eternal possibilities and inheritances available to us. Yet sometimes we choose to forego the treasures of the kingdom for the fading glitter of the world.

Jesus opens the door to our Heavenly Father's kingdom for those who list to obey Him. We need to offer more than lip service. We need to do more than merely say we believe in a higher power source. We need to accept Jesus as our Personal Friend, and we need to become friends with Him. He spoke these words:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man 

lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

He also spoke these words:

“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever 

I command you” (John 15:14).

And these:

“If ye love me, keep my 

commandments” (John 14:15).

We owe all that we have to our Father and His Son. Everything. “Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3). Yet some people scoff and call His followers sheeple. Should we not feel it a glorious blessing to have a Righteous Shepherd? One who will never lead us astray, but who will share with us in His glory!

And here we live as His human offspring, awaiting the day of our immortality. Whom we choose to follow now will determine who will receive us in that great day. 

King Benjamin words, found in Mosiah chapter 2, are good for us to remember at this Thanksgiving time and always, because our worship must begin with humility and gratitude:

19 And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, 

who has spent his days in your service, and yet 

has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks 

from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!

20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render 

all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has 

power to possess, to that God who has created you, 

and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye 

should rejoice, and has granted that 

ye should live in peace one with another—

21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him 

who has created you from the beginning, 

and is preserving you from day to day, 

by lending you breath, that ye may live and move 

and do according to your own will, and 

even supporting you from one moment to another—

I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls 

yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

22 And behold, all that he requires of you 

is to keep his commandments; 

and he has promised you that if ye would 

keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; 

and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; 

therefore, if ye do keep his commandments 

he doth bless you and prosper you.

This is a tricky day that we live in. Modern times are really repeats of the failings of past civilizations, but the evil designer has had many millennia of preparation in presentation. Yet we have been warned about avoiding his darkness and his worldly sophistry; we have been warned about not becoming his pawns:

“And there are also secret combinations, even as 

in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, 

for he is the founder of all these things; yea, 

the founder of murder, and works of darkness; 

yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, 

until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever” 

(2Nephi 26:22).

So here we are, somewhat like Pinocchio. We have a Creator who has offered us an inheritance with Him. He has made us real and given us the opportunity to become like Him, but sometimes we would rather be puppets, never reaching our potential, but controlled by the masses who have also chosen puppetry. Remember Pinocchio’s plight and that it is by far better to be a sheep of the Good Shepherd who will lead us into Life Eternal than to be a donkey.