The Problem with Sheep - Greg Laurie Devotion - March 18, 2026
“Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:25 nlt)
On more than one occasion, the Bible compares Christians to sheep. I don’t know if I’m really happy about that because sheep aren’t the most intelligent animals on earth. It would have been nice if God had compared us to dolphins. Now, there’s an intelligent animal. I once had the opportunity to talk to a man who trained dolphins. I asked him, “Are dolphins really as intelligent as they seem?”
He said, “In some ways, yes, and in some ways, no. They are very intelligent in many ways because a dolphin can read a symbol and understand what it means.” That is amazing to me.
But Jesus didn’t compare us to dolphins. He compared us to sheep. And sheep are some of the stupidest animalsaround. They are vulnerable, easily spooked, can’t run very fast, and lack any means of defending themselves. What’smore, they are in constant need of care and attention. Sheep are known to follow each other even to their own death. It has been documented that if one sheep walks off a cliff, others will follow.
The Bible says, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own” (Isaiah53:6 nlt). And, you have to admit, that description hits pretty close to home. Think about how many people have boughtinto the same lies, generation after generation. They fall into the same junk, the same addictions, and the same traps again and again. If we’re honest with ourselves, we must admit that we are strayers. We put distance between ourselves and God.
Of course, our Shepherd will not stand idly by while we get lost following our own path. Jesus makes that clear in His parable of the lost sheep. “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep’” (Luke 15:4–6 nlt).
Psalm 23, one of the best-known passages in all of Scripture, reminds us that there are advantages to being sheep. “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name” (verses 1–3 nlt).
We are like sheep. There’s no getting around that. The question is, are you going to be a smart sheep or a dumb one? Smart sheep stay close to the Shepherd. And that’s where we all need to be.
Reflection question: What might cause you to stray from Jesus?
Copyright © 2026 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Photo credit: © Getty Images/andreacerri
Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of The Jesus Discoveries by Jeremiah Johnston
Did Jesus really exist? Can we trust the Gospels? What does archaeology say about the resurrection? In The Jesus Discoveries, apologist and scholar Dr. Jeremiah Johnston unpacks 10 remarkable findings that support the New Testament and strengthen our understanding of who Jesus is. It’s accessible, engaging, and perfect for believers who want to be better equipped to answer tough questions with truth and compassion. Request your copy this month with your gift to Harvest Ministries.
