Home > Stories >

One Lost Sheep

By Guy K. Henry

www.GuyHenry.com

The shepherd stood on the grassy hill and counted his sheep. “98, 99, 100, all here!”

He smiled as he sat down for a few minutes before counting again.

At the far end of the pasture stood one particularly naughty sheep, Simon. Now, it wasn’t that he was a mean sheep. No, the trouble Simon found came because he was very curious.

“Hey Jeff,” Simon called out to his best friend, “I wanna’ explore the dark forest!”

“I don’t know,” Jeff wavered, “My mom expects me to stay with the flock.”

“Come on Jeff,” Simon whined, “it’ll be loads of fun, and nothing bad is going to happen.”

“No,” Jeff decided, “No! I am not going into the forest, and you shouldn’t go either.”

“Suit your self,” Simon said as he rolled his eyes, “I am going, and when I get back, I will tell you about all the fun I had.”

With that Simon snuck away from the flock and moved towards the edge of the forest. Just before he went in, he looked back and saw his friend Jeff shaking his head and whispering, “No. No. No. Don’t go.”

“Hmph,” Simon bleated as he pushed his way into the dark forest. Once inside he took a long look around him. “This is great! This place is the coolest! I love it here!” he shouted as he jumped over fallen trees.

“96, 97, 98, 99...” The shepherd swallowed hard when he realized that one was missing and charged down the hill. “I am coming! I will find you!” he shouted.

“Bah! Bah!” Simon said as he leapt around the dense woods. “Jeff sure is missing out on a lot of fun!”

After a while, Simon stopped in front of a dark cave. “Hello!” he shouted.

“Hello, Hello, Hello” the cave echoed back.

“Is anybody home?” Simon asked the dark cave.

“Home, home, home,” the cave echoed.

Then Simon heard a new noise. “Psst,”

“Who said that?” Simon asked.

“I ask the questions around here,” came the voice from the cave, “Who are you?”

“Oh, I am Simon,” he answered, “and I have come from the nearby grassy field. Would you like to be my friend?”

“We will see,” came the mysterious voice from the dark.

“How about if you come out and play with me,” Simon invited.

Just then the creature from the dark stepped into the shadow.

Simon immediately burst into laughter. “What kind of sheep are you! I have never seen anything like you before!”

“I am not a sheep,” replied the animal.

“Well, what are you then?” Simon inquired.

“Simon, I am a wolf,” he responded.

“I have never heard of anything called a wolf before.” Simon said.

“I need to tell you something,” the wolf said as his eyes became wide, “I am very very hungry.”

“Well, today is your lucky day,” Simon chirped.

“I agree,” the wolf said as he ran his long tongue over his sharp teeth.

“Yup,” Simon cheerfully continued, “I know where there is a field of the sweetest grass to eat. Come with me.”

“Yech!” The wolf said as he shook his head in disgust. “I do not eat grass.”

“That’s odd,” Simon was puzzled. “If you do not eat grass, what do you eat?”

“I am so glad that you asked me that,” the wolf gleamed. “Simon, my favorite thing to eat is… SHEEP!”

“Oh that is revolting!” Simon scolded his new friend. “It is not nice to joke about eating a defenseless sheep like me.”

“I am not joking,” the wolf said as he bared his teeth and prepared to pounce on Simon.

Just as the starving wolf leapt into the air, the shepherd swung his staff and knocked him to the ground. “Leave my sheep alone!” he commanded.

For a moment the wolf staggered, and then he growled and charged towards the frightened Simon.

The shepherd took one step in the direction of the wolf, and growled back. “Grrrrrrr!”

The wolf froze in his tracks, and then scampered into the woods.

The shepherd then looked at Simon and smiled. “You naughty sheep, come with me.”

With that, he scooped Simon up and placed him upon his neck. As he carried him back to the flock he asked, “Simon, you are not going to do that again, are you?”

Simon shook his head, “Noooooo,” he bahh’ed.

=============================================================

Simon did not have a clue about the deadly dangers that awaited him in the forest. He happily became buddies with the wolf who was ready to devour him.

It reminds me of how at one time we lived (or are living) our lives. We tell a ‘little’ lie to get us out of trouble, never seeing that the lie can destroy us. We steal when no one is looking, and think that we have gotten away with it. We don’t realize that stealing is deadly. We disobey our parents, and never think that we earn a terrible punishment that lasts forever.

Like Simon, many walk about this earth unaware of the terrible trouble we are in because we have broken God’s law. We may not know God’s laws, and we certainly do not understand the terrible penalties for breaking them.

Then, one day, someone tells us the truth.

The first part of Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death.”

That’s right, breaking God’s law (sin) earns death for us. Everyone eventually dies, and it is because of their sin. But it does not end in the graveyard. After this life, is a life that lasts forever. Because of our sin, that forever is spent separated from God, in a terrible place called Hell.

The whole Romans 6:23 has fantastic news! It says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Because everyone has broken God’s laws, we all deserve hell. The good news is that we do not have to get what we deserve! Jesus has made a wonderful escape for us!

You see, Jesus was not just a good teacher. He was not just a miracle worker. He lived his life without ever, even once, breaking God’s law. He never disobeyed his parents. He never stole, lied, cheated or did anything that God’s Word forbids. In short, He lived a perfect life.

Since He had no sin, He did not have to die. (Remember, it is sin that kills us). But, Jesus did die on a cross, just like a criminal. Why? Since He had no punishment of His own to pay, He was able to die in MY place. He was able to pay YOUR punishment. That is the great thing that happened on the cross. That is why instead of me going to hell forever, like I deserve, I am going to spend forever in Heaven! That is why you do not have to spend a miserable eternity in hell either. Isn’t Jesus wonderful?!!!

All we must do is:

- Realize that we have disobeyed God’s law (sin) and have earned a terrible punishment, hell.

- Believe that when Jesus died on the cross, He was paying YOUR punishment.

- Trust (totally rely on) Jesus, and nothing or no one else, to take away (forgive) your sin.

- Ask Jesus to take away your sins!

Simon was rescued by the shepherd. When you see the trouble you are in, and call upon Jesus to rescue you, Jesus becomes your shepherd, and saves you!

Jesus tells us in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

Perhaps after reading this, you have realized the trouble you are in. You know that right now you deserve hell. Won’t you allow Jesus to change that? Believe and Trust Jesus and claim His death on the cross as payment for your sins. Open up your mouth and Ask Him to forgive your sins.

This is not hard, but it is powerful. If you really ask and trust Jesus to pay your punishment, He will. Instead of spending endless days in the misery of hell, you will spend forever in the unimaginable greatness of Heaven!

The choice is yours. You can live your life the way you have been, and find out that sin kills us in an eternal way. Or, you can discover the good shepherd, Jesus, and have your life changed for the better, forever!

Let me know if I can be of any help as you make your decision.

Luke 15:6-7 “And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, 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.”

What did you think? I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment in my Guest Book. 

The Email address is entirely optional. If you include it, you and I can correspond. I will not use it for any other purpose, nor allow it to be displayed on the internet nor allow anyone else access to it! I hate spam too!

Please note that thanks to SPAMMERS, entries will not be visible in the guestbook until I manually add them.