“You will have goats’ milk that will be enough for your food, for the food of your household, and for the maintenance of your maidens.” (Proverbs 27:27)
BY REV. DORAL PULLEY, Today’s Church Tampa Bay
READ | Matthew 25:31-46
Goats are not harmful to the sheepfold. They do not hurt sheep; they only harm themselves. Unlike sheep, goats are challenging to lead because they can be stubborn and rebellious. Nevertheless, they are resourceful and known for their delicious milk and the cheese it produces. As Good Shepherds, the I AM empowers us to correct and redirect the goat’s way of being, seeing, thinking, speaking, and behaving, which are contrary to the Truth.
In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, what distinguished the sheep from the goats was their pastoral care and community service. The sheep fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, housed the homeless, clothed the naked, and visited those who were sick and imprisoned. The goats had the same resources as the sheep, but they were selfish.
They refused to feed the hungry and to give drinks to those who were thirsty. They did not share their resources to house those who needed shelter or to clothe those who were naked. They did not take the time to visit those who were sick in hospitals or those who were in prison or jail.
The sheep and the goats were separated showing us that they operated in a different consciousness. The sheep were on the right, the higher level of consciousness, and the goats were on the left, the lower level of consciousness. The sheep were rewarded for their service, and the goats were punished for their selfishness. Each day, each of us is given the choice to operate in the sheep consciousness and be rewarded or in the goat consciousness and receive the consequences for that decision.
Rev. Doral Pulley is the senior pastor of Today’s Church Tampa Bay, 940 5th Ave. S, St. Petersburg (Staybridge Suites) and 5107 North Central Ave., Tampa.
