Listen And Follow - All Our Daily Bread Daily Devotionals for 2025

Bible in a Year : Isaiah 7-8, Ephesians 2

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27

Today's Scripture & Insight : John 10:1-18, 27-28

It wasn’t an unusual scene: father and son riding their bikes through the park. Dad, slightly ahead, led the way, calling out instructions: “Steer sharp left. Then straighten up again—we’re going around a pond.” But something was different. The young boy was blind, totally reliant on listening to, and then following, his father’s familiar voice amid the other children’s playful screams and shouts.

This is not unlike a scene where Middle Eastern shepherds lead their sheep from out in front, calling them by name (John 10:3-4). So intimate is their relationship that the “sheep follow [the shepherd] because they know his voice” (v. 4); they “never follow a stranger” (v. 5). And it was as a shepherd of God’s people that Jesus described Himself to their failed leaders. These “thieves” and “false shepherds” focused solely on their own interests (John 10:10, 12–13). But Jesus, the true Shepherd, promised “fullness of life” (v. 10) by sacrificing Himself for His sheep and then being raised to eternal life (vv. 9, 17–18, 28).

There are times when we can’t see which path to take, or when we feel confused by the many voices calling out opinions or expectations. But as we listen for our Shepherd’s voice in Scripture and follow His directions, He protects us from making unwise or even dangerous choices.

By: Anne Le Tissier

Reflect & Pray
Which “false shepherds” tempt you to follow their ideas or way of life? What is Jesus saying to you, and how will you follow His lead?

Thank you, Jesus, that You care for all my needs. Please help me to hear Your voice and follow You to life’s best pasture.