Now to take a closer look at the Good Shepherd Himself is necessary since the sheep must trust Him if they are to be led by Him. Why would David trust Him to the extent that he called Him ‘my shepherd’? It would stand to reason that David trusted Him because he learned to know Him personally.
We live in a day when many would aspire to leadership. Many say in a sense, “I am a shepherd, follow me.” All the religions in the world have their highly esteemed prophets and men who started a movement and claim to be great leaders. Some who follow these movements and religions are so convinced that they are willing to die for their cause. Some even say all religions lead to the same god and the same heaven. Some, because of this, throw up their hands and give up because it all seems so confusing to them.
Many make a profession of Christianity without really knowing the Good Shepherd. Many know about Him without knowing Him personally. Herein is where the difference lies, between those who have come to eternal life and those who have taken on a religion. Religion or knowing facts about Christianity will not take any one to heaven by itself, but having a personal relationship with the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ will.
Let There Be Life 