Certain companies have some of the most memorable mascots and slogans. I remember many from my childhood that are still used today. The talking gecko, everyone knows, represents GEICO. The Statue of Liberty represents Liberty Mutual, and it has one of the catchiest tunes.
Sheep that talked and walked around blue mattresses represented Serta, the mattress company. In fact, Serta even made a line of stuffed animal sheep with little numbers on them that you got whenever you bought one of their mattresses so you could count sheep as you fell asleep.
Sometimes the slogan or catchy tune sticks with us even more than the actual product or company it’s advertising. Whether we like it or not, these slogans and advertising work because we remember what they represent even years later.
Lately I have found myself wondering if we have a slogan for being Adventists. Technically, our name embodies our slogan – Christians worshiping on the seventh day, awaiting Jesus' second advent. I believe this is a good glimpse at what we are about and what we believe. Though I wonder if sometimes we get sidetracked on other issues.
We say we want people to get to know Jesus and be saved, yet sometimes we are more sheep counters than Shepherd followers. We like to show graphs and diagrams that display how many baptisms we've had or how many churches we have planted, all while boasting about our own efforts. We often highlight individuals who've baptized the most people, or we give more time up front to those who are boisterous in sharing all the church growth they've made happen — all while barely giving a second to the person who has come to Jesus and had a changed life. Have we forgotten this whole life is about following the true Shepherd?
While Jesus was on this earth, He spent every possible moment trying to educate the disciples and anyone who would listen about who He was, what He was really about, how to follow Him and what the true mission in life was. He told people over and over that the most important thing we can do as human beings is surrender to Him and let Him lead.
If we try to do it ourselves, we fail, and Satan loves when we make it about what we can do to accomplish salvation. Satan rejoices when we forget that the goal is a relationship with Jesus, not living perfectly or work-based salvation. Simply, Jesus explained that He is the way to salvation.
John 14:6 says, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” How do we get to the Father? How do we gain salvation? It's simple. Accept Jesus into your life and continue to do that each day. Spend time with the Creator, Savior and Sustainer of the world.
If we were to spend dedicated time each day praying to Jesus for His leading and guidance in our lives and in our efforts to share Him with the world, I believe we would see a difference. What if we were to read the Bible and let it teach us more about Jesus? If we were to focus less on the number of sheep and more on the Shepherd, I truly believe our churches would be fuller than they are now.
This is not to say we don’t evangelize — we certainly work as His hands and feet — but on our own we are like a glove without a hand in it. Without Jesus truly living in us and us knowing the true Shepherd, we cannot bring people to Him.
I propose that our focus should be less on sheep and more on the Shepherd. John 10:14–15 says, “I am the good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Maybe our slogan should be "Seventh-day worshiping followers of Jesus Christ, the true Shepherd, who effectively share salvation with the world before He soon returns.’
As you seek to fall asleep tonight, instead of counting sheep, talk to the true Shepherd, Jesus! Share about your day, your joys and stresses. Pray for rest and protection for the night. Repent of your failings that day, and rejoice that Jesus has made a way for your salvation through His life, death and resurrection. Let your eyes close knowing that you’re resting in the Almighty arms of the one true Shepherd.
