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
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