Every shepherd loves his sheepdog. They make a great team. Sheepdogs are hard-working animals and are indispensable to the shepherd’s livelihood, as well as being a good friend to the shepherd.
In the world of sheepdogs, there are heelers and headers. The heelers nip at the sheep from behind and keep the herd moving. The headers work from the front of the herd and control the sheep by staring them down. Whichever breed of sheepdog the shepherd uses, they are hard-working and energetic. They control the sheep and make the shepherd’s job not only easier but possible. Every shepherd needs a good sheepdog.
The greatest shepherd of all times is the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 10:14). All believers are sheep in the flock of the Good Shepherd. He cares for us, nourishes us, and leads us. But it might surprise you that the Good Shepherd also has a sheepdog to control his flock. In Jesus’ day, the shepherd did not use dogs to herd his sheep, but we can use this imagery to display a great truth.
Love’s Compelling Power
In 2 Corinthians 5:14, we read that the love of Christ controls or compels us as believers. The demonstration of Christ’s love for us by what he did for us on the cross works in our lives to bring about God’s desired results. Paul says in the rest of verse 14 and in verse 15, “Because we are forced to come to the conclusion that one died for all; therefore all have died. And he died that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.”
The word in the text for control or compel means to surround or close in from all sides. This is the task the sheepdog performs for the shepherd. The dog surrounds and closes in from all sides of the flock to control and lead the movement of the sheep. In the Christian life, the love of Christ seen on the cross does that same work. It compels us forward to live for Christ rather than for ourselves. How does the love of Christ do that for us?
From time to time, as we live our lives, we think about what Jesus did on the cross. Maybe it’s in a Sunday school lesson, a sermon, or we are reading our Bibles or praying, or it just comes into our minds. Whatever the means, the reality of the love of Christ displayed on the cross works its way into our hearts. As we think about it, the infinite dimensions of the love of Jesus for us personally grips us. We are moved by the depths of his love for us. The power of his love surrounds our hearts and closes in from all sides. Any attempt to live for ourselves becomes difficult.
We can escape the “nipping at our heels” love of Jesus by either not deeply thinking about the cross, or when we do think about it we put it from our minds. Why would we want to escape thinking about the love of Christ? We sometimes want to escape it because it means we must live for him rather than ourselves, and we foolishly believe it is better to live for ourselves. This foolish thinking keeps us from many blessings. When we pull away from the compelling power of the love of Christ, we move away from the flock of Christ. Moving away from the flock of Christ results in moving away from the place of blessing. It’s not that there are no blessings for us, but we miss so many by straying from his fold.
Every sheep’s best friend is his shepherd, but the shepherd’s dog is also his friend. Without the sheepdog, the life of the sheep is in grave danger. The best friend of every Christian is the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. The reality of the love of Jesus seen on the cross is also our friend. It powerfully impacts our hearts and shapes our lives.
It is, therefore, necessary for every follower of Christ to think often and deeply about Jesus’ love for them displayed on the cross. If we do this, then his compelling love, by the power of the Holy Spirit, will move us forward in his plan for our lives. Then, we will experience the sweet control of the Good Shepherd’s sheepdog.