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John 10:11 (NRSV)
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"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep.
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God created the earth and everything in it and His creation
was to work for all His creations. Want was not part of the original
design of the world, particularly for human beings. There was
enough to meet the needs of the people, if they shared and
worked together. God as the shepherd, wanted to lead His people
in such a way that their needs were met and they didn’t have to
want for any of the necessities of life. God, as the shepherd, took
the responsibility to give us places that brought us rest and
peace. I think that each of us have a place that we like because
we feel peaceful and rested in. For me it is my house at White
River and all the land around it. I can ride a 4 wheeler and not see
anyone for a long time. I can see all kinds of animals and enjoy
the quite. God created a wide variety of places that can bring any
of us peace and calmness.
I heard once that sheep will not drink from a pool of water
that has a lot of ripples in it, they want calm water. I think that all
of us long for a time to sit and enjoy a time of stillness. Many of us
have so much going on in our lives we rarely have time for
ourselves or with those we love. We run around, stay busy, do
this and that and the 23rd Psalms says that the God will provide
us a place to rest and replenish our souls, our spirit, our health.
Some of our most treasured memories are time we allowed God
to bring us new life to our bodies, minds, and souls.
There are so many paths that we can take in this world and
some are good for us and others are not. The Shepherd knows
the trails and paths of the world and which ones are best for us.
He leads us, if we will follow, down the paths that provide us with
what we need. Sometimes we don’t want to follow and set out on
our own and end up lost. It is just during those lost times that God
will go out and look for us and provide us a way to regain the right
path. We can resist His seeking to bring us back and think that we
want our freedom and may suffer many problems from not
allowing Him to lead.
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I remember when I was a kid and I liked to explore caves in
a hill side overlooking the Brazos River. To get in the caves, on
the side of a large hill, you had to swing on a rope and let go at
the right time or fall about a hundred feet to the bottom of the hill.
It was scary and required a great risk and belief that I could
successfully do what was required to explore the cave. I look back
on those times of exploring and realize how easily I and my
friends could have been killed but we weren’t. I think now that
God, the shepherd, was with us and protected us against our own
sense of invulnerability and maybe even stupidity. God is willing
to protect foolish people as well as cautious ones and for that we
should all be grateful.
23rd Psalms says that God will protect us with his rod and
staff. In other words he will fight off predators when we will allow
him to. No matter how strong or smart we are they are times that
are really bad and we need someone to fight for us, to hold off the
dangers that are seeking to make our life horrible. It is during
those times of danger that God can fight for us and help us get
through the rough and dangerous times. We are not alone, God is
with us, even when we don’t know it. I know of many people who
have been fighting for their lives against a serious disease have
experienced the presence of God and been help in their fight to
stay alive. Many times, when we are in danger, want get so
frightened we want to give up. When God enters to fight with us
and for us we regain hope and power to endure the tough fight
and see that victory is possible. I know others who have been put
in terrible situations and could see no way out of them and they
experienced God on their side and they endured, persisted, and
grew stronger and were enabled to live within the terrible situation
with dignity and hope.
When the Psalmist writes about sitting down at a dinner
table with our enemies I get a queezy feeling in my stomach. I like
to eat, I like it a lot, but I don’t want to eat with my enemies. There
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are some people I don’t want to share a table with. Their
presence would cause me to be very anxious and frustrated and I
certainly couldn’t enjoy the meal, no matter what was served. But
God can be with us in the toughest of situations and not allow our
enemies to take control of our minds, hearts, and spirits. God can
give us the ability to feel safe even when those who we believe
would do us harm are around. God can teach us that, when we
are being led by him, we can decide on what we feel and think
about ourselves and others and not be intimidated. God can give
us the strength to appreciate whatever is before us and thank Him
for it.
Goodness and mercy are great things to have in our lives.
When we follow God we are following the great shepherd who
has demonstrated His desire to have us live in His goodness and
mercy all of our lives. Imagine seeing goodness and mercy inside
and outside of us because of our relationship with the great
shepherd. Wouldn’t life be different for many of us if we believed
in God’s goodness and mercy and lived with those two traits
being developed within us?
Then there is the powerful last statement in the Psalms: I
shall dwell I the house of the Lord my whole life long. This
statement relates to present and future times. We can dwell with
God in our daily lives and look forward to spending our time with
Him in our life to come after death. Our whole lives can be spent
in God’s house, under His care, if we are willing to follow him and
accept the shepherding He wants to give to us.
John 10:11 (NRSV)
11
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep.
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sheep. Jesus says and later did give his life for us. The Good
Shepherd is willing to protect his people with everything he has,
including his own life. Truthfully, what more can a person give to
another than their life?