Devotion John 10:7-18 The One Door Part 4
John 10:7-18 – So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Clearly Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is the One who loves the Sheep because they are His own. He is the Creator and so all the sheep exist because of His hand and His love. He created them, He covered their sin, from the Garden of Eden until the present day and forever. In Genesis God speaks of Himself in the plural during creation. At creation He states “Let us” at the making of mankind. (Genesis 1:26) When speaking of the consequence of the sin of man the Lord God once again spoke of Himself in the plural “us.” (Genesis 3:22) John 1:1-3 clearly states that’s Jesus was with God and was God “In the beginning.” So the sheep are His creation. However among the sheep are both those who belong to Him and those who do not. Those who did not belong to Him are those who by the means of His gift to them of free will, chosen not to love, believe in, and follow Him. (John 3:18, 36) But oh, the marvelous truth is that He is the “Good” Shepherd and the boundaries of His goodness are unlimited. How sad that those who reject Jesus as Savior and Lord will never know the unlimited love of Jesus for us. They only perceive what their limited unsaved minds can conceive. But for those who love the Lord Jesus, and respond to the call to serve Him, His goodness is perceived as an endless horizon, seen and never fully grasped. Oh how good is Jesus to all, and especially to those who love Him and acknowledge who He is.
“12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” Previously in V10:1 Jesus speaks of a thief and a robber who enters the sheepfold not through the gate. They cannot enter through the gate because they do not belong among the sheep. They are among the sheep not out of love but for nefarious reasons, to harm and kill them. (V10:10) Now Jesus is speaking of a hired hand and that person is different than the thief and robber. The hired hand has been hired to take care of the sheep and while the seas are smooth does what he is being paid for. But when the seas turn rough, or deadly, he abandons ship to protect himself without a care for the sheep. He is the babysitter who runs out of a house on fire and leaves behind the baby in the crib. This is a disreputable person who does not love those he is hired to protect and who, in fact, cares nothing for them. He is there for himself and not for his charges. This definitely applies to those who pastor as a job and not from the deep love of Christ flowing through them. The hired man needs another place to earn his wages. He does not love the flock and he does not love the one to whom the flock belongs. Clearly we need to beware a wolf hunting among the flock, and also the thief and robber, but we should not trust the hired hand to do what he is unwilling to do.
“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Those who belong to Him recognize Him as the one and only. We know Him because He first knew and loved us. (1 John 4:19) Those who know Him as Lord and Master, as the only way for salvation, have received a full measure of His love and grace. We see Him smiling at us, His smile stops us in our tracks, and we want to be with the one who smiles at us. He has the ability to save us and keep us. Thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
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Devotion Apostles Creed Always True – It’s All About Jesus
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven;
He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
Oh how I love the Lord. No love greater, or sweeter, more powerful or everlasting. Praise God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Happy Resurrection Day Brothers and Sisters! He indeed is risen!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob with
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Devotion John 1:1 It’s All About Jesus
John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1 Peter 5:7 – Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Matthew 11:28 – Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
John 20:28 – Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
He came for us. He lived for us. He died for us. He rose for us. He ascended for us. For us, for all of us. Even for the ones who reject Him and defame Him. Yes for those too. For you and me no matter what is your relationship with Him He predestined all of us to receive His blessings, if we would. Read the Bible to know more.
Here is something disturbing. He willingly and of His own volition, from His love for us, did all these things for us. All He asks is for our love and to live out that love. No matter what anyone says, that is the whole of it. (Matthew 22:34-40) Read this verse and pray for understanding, this is the whole of it. So He left His home to come to save us from death to eternal life. He lived a perfect life to fulfill His destiny. He died a horrible death for us. By the might of God (Acts 13:30, Galatians 1:1, Romans 8:11), who He is, He raised Himself from death. (John 10:18) After completing all He needed to do on earth, He ascended back to from where He came. Miracle after miracle, proof of His great love after proof of His great love. If He asked us to die for Him it would be His to ask. Yet He doesn’t ask us to die for Him, He asks us to live for Him. And not to live alone, but with Him and He will help us all along the way. In fact, we should not in any way rely upon ourselves to live with and for Him, but to trust Him to take care of it all. He has given to us all we need to live for Him. (2 Peter 1:3) Family and Friends it really does come down to receiving His love and in return loving Him. We will live for Him if we love Him. (John 14:15)
He made it so simple for us. Yet we manage to complicate it. So do we, do any of us, fully live for Him? And just to prove how He has made a sure path He even made the way to be forgiven for the times we mess up, because He knew we would (1 John 1:9) So what is the calling for every person born? It is to love Jesus with all that we are and live out that love. I know, I know, so many will say “yeah but.” But loving Jesus is the whole answer. No “yeah buts” If we love the Son we have the love of the Father. If we love the Son we do not grieve and blaspheme the Spirit. Love Jesus and trust God to complete the work. And He will, if we let Him. He will if we love Jesus. How wonderful our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. How wonderful our God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withWarning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /homepages/4/d182552187/htdocs/b4g/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php on line 399
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Devotion 1 Peter 5:7 Our Ubiquitous Keeper
1 Peter 5:7 – Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Psalm 147:3 – He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds
Psalm 34:18 – The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Philippians 4:7 – And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
James 4:16 “Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”
A few minutes ago I saw a short video with a little girl reaching up to her daddy to pick her up, and of course he did. The message was to enjoy them now because tomorrow is not promised. You know when “she” was born I loved her, but was afraid to love her too much because not too long ago my heart was broken and it was so painful I didn’t want to ever experience that pain again. I told my wife that I was afraid to love this new precious. I thought that because of her I would be hurt deeply again. Of course I got over that and she owns my heart. But I had been right. My heart is breaking. So I began to weep deeply. Already I miss her due to the impending parting. I asked “Lord please tell me if it’s your will. If it’s your will I know it will be okay.” Then our gracious Lord spoke into my heart. He let me know it is His will and so instantly stopped the weeping. I trust God who has proven Himself to me. I love Him who I know. I trust the Lord who keeps my heart. I trust God because I know Him. I truly know Him so I truly love and trust Him. He is my hope. Oh Lord, I trust you. Thank you!
Trust God when it seems that the most difficult things are happening. We don’t trust in circumstances, or people, or idols held in deep spots of the heart. Only our trust in the Lord matters. Most important is to know Him more every day and then He is seen in the days of life. Others, even those who should know better, will say that no-one sees God. But Jesus has torn down the veil that concealed. (1 Corinthians 3:16) We see God. We see His hand work for us. Because we know Him our faith in Him grows and then we learn the meaning of Him working all things together for those who love Him. I say this from experience. (Romans 8:28) I know Him so I love and trust Him. I hope all of you also do. Love God. Draw near to Him. Then you will know how He has and does reveal Himself. Tears may come but He will be your comfort through each one. He, and only Him, is enough. Our God is so good. Let’s cling to Him! Praise our God and Lord Jesus Christ! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withWarning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /homepages/4/d182552187/htdocs/b4g/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php on line 399
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Devotion John 10:7-18 The One Door Part 4
John 10:7-18 – So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
“So you follow Jesus? Why do you do that? If you can give me one good reason I will give my life to Him.”
“Well, He is my shepherd that loves me and takes care of me. He leads to areas of blessings and He watches over me on every path. He provides food, blessing and cool drink for me. He gives me a safe place to rest, and keeps guard over me during the night. I have no fear at night because He stands guard over me. Really I am in peace.”
“Before I knew Him as my Shepherd, before He took over as my Savior, my Guardian and my Master I had fear about my eternal future. No I sleep in deep peace and rest without worry.”
“Previously I trusted only on the goodness of mankind and the system of mankind in the world. I had fears of my future and confusion on where and how to walk. I worried about the things of life. Really, I had no security but myself and honestly I often thought about how insufficient I was in so many ways. Really, disaster who had my name on his list, I was powerless against. Sure, no one knew I worried. I didn’t look afraid. But I was both. I was ripe for the picking by evil. That was a scary thought I just tried to avoid thinking about.”
The Good Shepherd gave me the message of loving me and taking care of me. He said to follow Him and my future would be safe. So I did and you know all His promises? Day by day He has shown He is faithful in every way. He loved me before I knew Him and He proves it to me every day as His blessings are fresh every morning. And what is crazy, this physically invisible Shepherd lets me see Him every day and has taught me to hear His voice. So when He says He died for me, more and more I know that is true because more and more I know who and what He is. I trust Him more and more. I now know without a doubt He loves me and is absolutely trustworthy. I am not afraid. I’m not worried. He is always with me and taking care of me. Always. I live in peace. For me, trusting the Good Shepherd is absolutely the best and only way to live.”
“Father God has always known the Son and the Son has always known Him and the Son is my Shepherd. The Son not only would die for me but He already has. That’s why I love and serve the Shepherd who has, before I was born, loved and served me. Let men choose to live as they decide. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
“So do you want to give your life to the Good Shepherd?”
“Well, you cheated, you gave me more than one reason! Let’s talk about it some more. I feel like a fish being reeled in.”
“Okay, let’s see if the Fisher of Men, who is the Good Shepherd, can finish reeling you.
“I think I like that, let’s do that.”
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withWarning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /homepages/4/d182552187/htdocs/b4g/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php on line 399
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