At an interfaith dialogue meeting, I came to realize that devotion or spiritual practice is not unique to the Christian faith. In Buddhism, spiritual cultivation requires accumulated practice, merit, and blessing in order to be reincarnated as a human being, or even to become enlightened as a Buddha. Some New Age spiritual practices, known as “inner cultivation,” use yoga meditation, divination, hypnosis, and qigong to explore psychic healing and to achieve unity between heaven and humanity. These forms of spirituality are dangerous, because they not only draw upon spiritual forces but also continually emphasize relying on oneself for spiritual refinement. Without the guidance of an ultimate and absolute truth in life, a person may instead become lost within the self and lose inner peace.

         Christian spirituality is a transformative journey from self-centeredness to listening to the Lord’s voice. It is not self-cultivation, but intimacy, seeking, and discernment—drawing near to the Lord, seeking His will, and discerning His voice. The Lord Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:1–6). He says that the sheep listen to and recognize the shepherd’s voice, and they follow him; they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. In this metaphor, “voice” plays a crucial role, because sheep have poor eyesight and cannot rely on themselves to know the way. Without depending entirely on the shepherd’s voice to guide them, the sheep would not even be able to find grass to eat. We must remember that in the arid land of Palestine, finding tender grass is anything but easy. In Psalm 23:2, it is God who “makes” me lie down in green pastures and “leads” me beside quiet waters. The roles between shepherd and sheep cannot be reversed. The shepherd’s responsibility is to call, to gather, and to lead, ensuring that the sheep walk in the right direction and receive nourishment, safety, and abundant life. The responsibility of the sheep is much simpler: to listen and to follow. Our daily devotion is precisely the training of listening to and following the Lord’s voice. Yet so often, the roles of “calling and following” between shepherd and sheep are unknowingly reversed. We (the sheep) run ahead, calling on the Lord (the Great Shepherd) to follow where we want to go. What would the result be? As expected, it is dangerous. Like sheep, our knowledge and sight are limited. If we do not follow the voice of the Great Shepherd, we easily fall into all kinds of lack, snares, and unrest, losing the sense of security and direction that only the Great Shepherd can give.

         The Lord Jesus says: Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear! We must listen to His word and keep walking on the right paths (Psalm 23:3b). I once watched on television a Syrian shepherd leading a flock of 150 sheep, guiding them with precision along a narrow path through a wheat field. The scene deeply moved me! Though the sheep could not see the path, simply by listening and following, not a single one strayed off the path. It reminded me of a sentence printed on a bookmark: “Though I know not my path ahead, I know the One who leads the way.” Today, the Lord Jesus is also leading the flock of North Point Alliance Church along the right paths, and He does not wish for even one sheep to wander off and be lost. In 2026, may the Lord open our ears, that we may attentively practice listening to the Lord’s voice and obediently follow His gathering or His sending. May we follow the Lord and walk on the right paths.