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The Good Shepherd
Andrea Lende • Jun 11, 2020
John 10: 9,11,14
The Good Shepherd
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/The-Good-Shepherd-ef9v8n
Daily Word:
John 10: 9, 11, 14
“I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture.”
"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep.
"I am the Good Shepherd; and I know and recognize My own, and My own know and recognize Me.”
Jesus’ words bring me comfort today.
He is the Good Shepherd.
I am thankful to be one of His sheep.
I need Him to lead and guide me.
He uses His rod to correct me and His staff to bring me back if I stray.
He has had to use both on me during this lifetime.
He continues to watch over me.
A good shepherd watches over and protects the sheep.
The Lord’s protection cannot be under-estimated.
As I give Him complete control of my life, He takes care of me in every way.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t difficulties.
It doesn’t mean I don’t have trials.
But it does mean that the Good Shepherd will lead and guide me through each trial and difficulty.
He will watch for the enemy and protect me from him.
He will keep me just as a good shepherd would.
He feeds me.
He feeds my spirit and my soul.
He continues to fill with me His Holy Spirit and His presence is unmistakable.
I am so thankful to be able to sit in His presence and drink from the living waters.
He ensures that I have those living waters to drink.
He also grants me “pasture”.
He feeds my soul.
I am free to go in and out and graze and drink as I have need.
How wonderful it is to be a sheep of the Good Shepherd, the King of Kings.
I hope never to take that granted.
Today I am thankful that the Good Shepherd made a way for me to be fully cared for by Him.
May you find that the Good Shepherd desires to grant you all that you need as you are part of His flock.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for the gift of Your Son Who came to live here on earth. Thank You for Your Word that continues to show me the love You have for me and Your people. Thank You for allowing me in to be part of Your flock. Thank You for caring for me in every way. Thank You for allowing me to sit in Your presence as You lead me to pasture and drink of Your living waters. Thank You for feeding and watering my soul. As the world succumbs to chaos, I find You waiting for me to come and be lifted up by Your Holy Spirit. Fill me with Your Spirit as I come to You, Lord, and give me rest. Thank You for Your peace. Thank You for rest and nourishment today and every day. Undeserving of all You give to me, thank You, most gracious and loving Father. Help me serve You as You strengthen me, Lord. I desire to be of service to You and Your people. Help me do all that You have for me to do. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: My flock is large, and you are My sheep, My child, and I will always take care of you.
Response: Thank You, Almighty God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.