Watch Out for Sheep

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:1-12; Isaiah 40:11

“I shouldn’t have let you see my test paper,” Lance said as he and his friend

Joel walked home after school. “I think I should tell Mr. Grant I cheated.”

“Why would you do that?” asked Joel. “You didn’t cheat. I did.”

“But I helped you,” said Lance, “so I cheated too.”

“We’ll never do it again, so nobody will know,” said Joel. “Nobody saw us.”

“God did,” replied Lance. “He sees everything.”

“You mean God spies on us?” Joel asked.

“No, but He does see us,” said Lance. “It’s more like…well…” Lance sighed, not sure how to explain what he meant.

That evening, Joel went with Lance’s family to a basketball game in another town. On the way home, they met a car on a two-lane country road. Lance’s dad squinted. “That guy should dim his lights!” he said. “They’re blinding me!”

“Look out!” his mom exclaimed. “There’s a—”

The brakes squealed, and the car swerved and then stopped with a thud. A sheep had wandered through a broken fence and into the road, but nobody was hurt—not even the sheep. The car had hit a fencepost.

“Well, that was exciting,” Joel said when they dropped him off a couple hours later. “It’s lucky nobody got hurt.”

“It was more than luck,” Lance’s mom said. “God was watching over us.”

“That’s it!” said Lance. “That’s what I meant earlier today. God watches us to protect us, not just to catch us doing something bad.”

Dad nodded. “The Bible says Jesus watches those who trust in Him like a Shepherd watching over His sheep.”

“And when He does see us doing something bad, He’ll forgive us,” Lance said.

“Like wandering into the middle of the road?” Joel asked with a grin.

Dad laughed. “More like wandering away from Him.”

Joel found Lance at school the next morning. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, “and, well, if you still want to tell Mr. Grant about the test, I’ll go with you.” He sighed. “Do you think God will see us do that too?”

“He sure will!” said Lance. “And even better, He’ll forgive us if we ask Him to. I know He’ll forgive me because I’m one of His sheep—and you can be one of His sheep too.” – Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?

Did you know that God always sees you? Nothing you do—good or bad—is hidden from Him. That’s why Jesus died on the cross—so we could be forgiven for all the bad things we do and have eternal life with Him. When we trust in Him, He watches over us and takes care of us as His sheep. Trust in Him as your Good Shepherd. (See “Have You Heard the Good News?” on page 108.)

Today’s Key Verse:
Matthew 28:20 [Jesus said,] “I am with you always, even to the end
of the age.” (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

God sees everything