Tag: good shepherd

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Day 10 Jireh

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I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:9-11
For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us. Isaiah 33:22

Have you ever wondered why we need a constant intercessor in our lives if Jesus came and did the work of forgiveness for sins on the cross?  Why, if I’ve been forgiven, do I need someone to keep taking my repentance to God?  I’ve been reading Dane Ortlund’s book, Gentle and Lowly: The heart of Christ for sinners and sufferers.  In the margin on one page about intercession I wrote, “Good question!”  The answer, written out in subsequent pages was beautiful and revealing.  But it’s these short examples which solidified the answer:

Think of an older brother cheering on his younger brother in a track meet. Even if, in that final stretch, the younger brother is well out ahead and will certainly win the race, does the older brother sit back, quiet, complacently satisfied? Not at all — he’s yelling at the top of his lungs exclamations of encouragement, of affirmations, of celebration, of victory, of solidarity. He cannot be quieted. “

Picture a glider, pulled up into the sky by an airplane, soon to be released to float down to earth.  We are that glider; Christ is the plane.  But He never disengages.  He never lets go, wishing us well, hoping we can glide the rest of the way into heaven.  He carries us all the way.”

When Jesus calls himself our shepherd He means it for life.  Once He gathers us up into His flock he doesn’t stop caring for us, feeding us, protecting us, and cheering us on.  We go astray from God’s Law looking for better grass and He calls us back.  He provides everything we need until the sun goes down on our life and we are united in heaven.  He is continuously bringing us before the Father with joy.

This is a love more than most of us can imagine.  He loved us while we were still sinners – because that’s what we still are every single day.  And He keeps rinsing us off and standing beside us before a Holy God.  He is enough for us.   Because He is all we need to stand before God, we can believe we are enough too. 

Click here to listen: Jireh

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

The Strong, Silent Type

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When I think of shepherds, the farmer in the movie “Babe” comes to mind.  He had complete control over his flock with simple grunts, murmurs, or hand motions.  The farm animals look at him like a god.  But then there was Babe, the pig.  He wanted more.  As a pig he was supposed to simply eat and get fat.  His future was the dinner table.  But he wanted to be a shepherd.  Why? Because shepherds protect.  They lead.  They have a love for their flock.  At first, Farmer Hoggett resisted.  And Babe persisted.  What followed was a beautiful story of the Shepherd teaching and guiding another to become a shepherd as well.  I love the little song Farmer Hoggett sings to Babe:

Can’t you just imagine Jesus quietly singing these words as he walked with the disciples along the Sea of Galilee?  Or around the campfire in the Garden of Gethsemane before the soldiers came?  Yes, Jesus was quite a force when it came to speaking to Pharisees and Sadducees but throughout His ministry, I sense a quiet force.  With just a nod, a whisper, a few well-placed words He touched thousands. 

God spoke to Jeremiah about the coming of Jesus and His trained shepherds: “Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. Jer 3:15.  He also warned of shepherds that would come against the people of God.  Shepherds who “set traps to catch people.”  Ones whose evil deeds have no limit.  Shepherds who do not have the spiritual health of their flock in mind.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, stands as the touchstone for our spiritual shepherds.  As his sheep, we listen only to His voice, his murmurs.  When he gestures for us to come and follow we turn from the distractions and place our eyes only on him.

 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 

John 10:14-16

Jesus leads us out of danger.  He leads us to pastures that will sustain us.  He brings us safely home to our Father.  He loves us with His own life.  He is the gatekeeper for our eternal salvation.  Thank you, great Shepherd.

Do you have a favorite movie that has hidden meanings about God and His Kingdom?  Share it in the comments below along with your praise for our Good Shepherd!