I recently updated my Antivirus and as I was waiting for the process to be completed I noted that on the screen of my laptop there was an AVG diagram with the headline "An Incomplete Circle." Its purpose was to remind me that although AVG Free does offer a good level of protection, it is only if I upgraded to the full version (which, of course, involved a cost), that I would be fully protected!
The other subject of my reflections is a book which I have recently begun to read. The author is Phillip Keller, and the title of the book is "A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23." Keller worked at one time as a shepherd, and although I haven't yet got all that far into the book, already I have found some of his insights into the life of the shepherd and the relationship between shepherd and sheep extremely interesting.
Jesus said of himself, 'I am the Good Shepherd,' and Keller teases out some of the depths of meaning in that saying. Of course, one of the main responsibilities of the shepherd is to take care of and protect the sheep under his care (can you see where this is leading?) Also, and very significantly, Jesus stated, 'I am the the gate for the sheep.' Jesus' first listeners would know exactly what he meant. At night time the shepherd would lead the sheep into a pen, perhaps made up of rocks piled on top of one another. There would be no gate, so the shepherd would himself lay across the entrance to the pen, thus providing all the protection the sheep required from wild animals etc. In other words, he would complete the circle.
If we have put our lives into the hands of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, then we can rest assured that we are safe in his keeping. And that's so good to know.
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