I Once Was Lost, but Now Am Found

READ: Ezekiel 34:11-16

I spent seven years as a lost sheep. Separated from the flock of the Lord’s people and from the Good Shepherd himself, I wandered through life alone. I was very self-reliant then. Proud too. I pushed people away, refused help, and tried to make it on my own. I failed miserably.

When my Shepherd found me, I was deeply broken. I had no friends. I had wounded my family through years of rebellion and separation. I was dissatisfied with every worldly treasure. My life felt meaningless, and I had little hope for the future.

“I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,” promises the Lord. (Ezekiel 34:16)

I used to think I was sleek and strong -- I was doomed to destruction. But when I encountered the Good Shepherd, I realized that I was weak and injured and that he wanted to heal me. All he needed was my submission.

The Good Shepherd changed my life. I have friends now. Real friends. Friends that accept me for who I am and genuinely care about me. My relationship with my family is being restored. I am filled with hope and satisfied with the provisions the Good Shepherd makes for me each day.

Sometimes I still wander … drift away on the path of pride or self-reliance or solitude. But the Good Shepherd chases me, catches me, and carries me back home, to the good pasture of life with his people, life in his care. He is true to who he says he is and what he says he will do. As it is written in Proverbs (and quoted in 1 Peter and James), “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

The Shepherd rescues His sheep

14 December 

Scripture Reading

Read Ezekiel 34:11-16 and reflect on the passage.

Ezekiel tells us the Lord was a shepherd to Israel. The shepherd imagery is pervasive throughout Scripture. Jesus clearly takes the shepherd mantle and twice in John chapter 10 declares, “I am the Good Shepherd.”

What makes this imagery so fitting? First, sheep are not known for their ferocity, foresight, and intellect. They need constant help. Second, the shepherd provides all the sheep need. A lot of people can see themselves as a sheep. They are determined as the old song says gloriously, “I did it my way.” (Two-year-olds say that sort of thing too. More like an emphatic, “I do it.”) But, there is a fundamental problem for even the greatest and seemingly most self-sufficient—mortality seems to get in the way. Sooner or later when that inevitable last day comes, I’ve heard it said that no one has ever had a U-haul hitched to their hearse to take it all with them. Neither will anyone stand at the “pearly gates” declaring their greatness and demand a golden penthouse.

Can you see the foolishness in believing in your self-sufficiency? The shepherd is right there calling you to come—follow Him. Only He can provide you all you need now and forever.

Questions

1.      The good shepherd will call out to you. What are things you can do to more clearly hear His voice?

2.      Are there any areas where you try to fill a need in your own power or turn to an idol to fill the need?

  

Prayer

Lord, You provide for all our needs. Let us trust You for our needs and not try to fill our needs in any illegitimate way.

—Lee Miller 

The Good Shepherd

“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. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” -John 10:14-18

We have all heard of Jesus referred to as a shepherd. In today’s passage Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd.  This drew my attention and I asked myself what would make a “good” shepherd? 

Reading the scripture, I noticed how four times he says “he will lay down his life for the sheep.”  This was not a foreign idea.  It would have been normal for the shepherd to bring the flock home to the fold at night.  He would then lay down in the gate physically to protect the sheep from wolves coming into the sheepfold.  He literally put his life on the line for the sheep.

Think of this though, the shepherd would lay down, as the gate, in case something dangerous threatened his flock.  Jesus knew why he came to earth.  His job wasn’t to be ready to die for us if danger came.  His entire calling was to die a sinner’s death, a death he did not deserve, because Satan had already attacked.

Jesus never swayed from his calling. His love for us is so deep that he willingly sacrificed himself.  He didn’t live his life thinking, “I’m ready to die, if that’s what’s needed.”  He lived his life knowing how it would end.  That is definitely what I would call a Good Shepherd.

My Dad is bigger than your dad!

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.  I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:27-28 NIV)

I remember as a child there were bullies in my neighborhood and especially down the street at the park where we used to play. I was usually afraid to anger them, as I would often find myself the brunt of their taunts.  I tried to stay out of the way, go unnoticed, so there would be no trouble.  We often had those, "my dad is bigger than your dad," moments.  To protect myself from these 10-year old thugs, I would tell them my father was a policeman. It worked for a while. Then it didn't.

I was reminded of this story when Jesus said, "no one can snatch them out of my hand." Isn't it a great feeling to know that there might be bullies in our world, but Jesus has us firmly seated in the palm of His hand?  Jesus will scoop us up and deposit us far out of harm's way. All we need do is call upon Him to help, cry out to him in our pain and our challenge, and He is there.

As an adult I find I still have moments like those from my youth when I am exploring new territory. I pray about what to do in order to get out of a fix I find myself in.  My mind takes me back a long time ago when I only had to run to my house and get into my own yard to be out of danger.  The bullies wouldn't dare follow me there.  I was safe.

I am safe in Jesus' arms too. He is the Good Shepherd and I am often that lost sheep He goes after. I thank God I know His voice.

John 10:22-30

The Lord Keeps His Promises

I can’t believe it is December already, with Christmas but a mere two weeks away. My mind is still stuck in October, with thoughts of Halloween.

When I was a child, we annually watched, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

 

If you’ve watched it, then you know that Linus skips trick-or-treating and the ensuing Halloween party to sit in a pumpkin patch. Linus is waiting for the Great Pumpkin to come and bring him toys and other fun stuff. Sadly for Linus, the Great Pumpkin never comes.

 

Today’s reading is Ezekiel 34:7-16. Ezekiel and a large group of exiled Jews were living in Babylon. During their exile, Jerusalem was a vassal state to Nebuchadnezzar, a  Babylonian king. Nebuchadnezzar tore down the walls of Jerusalem and leveled King Solomon’s Temple to squash a rebellion against him in 586 BC.

 

The Lord, speaking through Ezekiel, tells the Jews that he will come to his people, rescue them and take care of them.

 

History tells us that Cyrus, a Persian King, defeated the Babylonians and returned the Jews to Jerusalem in 539 BC, just as the Lord promised.

 

Ezekiel spoke words of comfort to the Jews 2500 years ago, yet these same passages speak comfort to us today. The Lord tells us that he will tend his sheep, a reminder that he sent “The Good Shepherd” to take care of us. The “lost” sheep will be found and not suffer the eternal ravages of sin, a reminder that the “Good Shepherd”, also was a “Sacrificial Lamb” who suffered for our sin.

 

Yes, God came to the Jews and took care of them. In the person of Jesus, God also came to us for our eternal benefit! History and the Bible tell us that Jesus lived on earth and died for us, just the Lord promised.

 

We also know that Jesus, our Good Shepherd and Sacrificial Lamb, will come again to rebuild a new creation for us. We know that we will live with him in eternity.

 

History tells us that the Lord keeps his promises.

 

Unlike the Great Pumpkin!

A Table Prepared for Us

David, the author of most of the Book of Psalms, was a shepherd and wrote out of his own experience. He spent the better part of his childhood caring for his sheep, who were completely dependent on him.

The New Testament calls Jesus the good shepherd (John 10:11), the great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20), and the Great Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). With Jesus as the shepherd, we are His sheep. While we are not helpless, passive animals, we strive to be obedient followers and set aside our sheep-like qualities.

Psalm 23 is not centered around the helpless animals, but is all about the discipleship qualities of those who chose to follow Jesus, the Great Shepherd. This shepherd knows what is best for us, His followers, and He provides for all our needs.

Psalm 23:5 (MSG) You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.

Are the holidays difficult to face? Do you dread family gatherings where Aunt Sue and Cousin Jim are always trying to out-do the other with stories of recent expensive purchases. Does this happen in the presence of Grandma Jess who just lost her husband of 52 years and is wondering how she will be able to go on? These characters are all sheep who need the love and provision of the Great Shepherd.

Where do you find yourself today? Are you in a better place than last Thanksgiving? Have you been able to put food on the table for your children? Did you purchase your first home this past year? Or, has the year been a difficult one for you and your family? No matter the difference from last year to now, the Shepherd has been doing what a Shepherd does...tends to his flock.

For this I give you all thanks and praise and honor.

Psalm 23

Lots of Grace and a Little Snuggle

Psalm 94:12 How blessed the man you train, God, the woman you instruct in your word, providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil..."

There are times when we are caught up in sin and experience the pain of this world so very deeply. Through this trauma we are exposed to a loving God, a God who exposes himself to us at just the right time. Perhaps the prayer of a believer touched our ears and penetrated our hearts. We became willing to not only to listen, but to hear.

"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." Isaiah 48:10

God not only makes affliction the occasion of converting sinners at first, but increases that good work of grace. When grace is accepted lives change. To be disciplined by God is to be loved by God. Just as a parent corrects us to teach and to insure our safety, so God disciplines us to bring us closer to him.

Picture this, a child, having been made aware of his wrong-doing, being drawn into the loving arms of his parent. There is no animosity, only tender love express in the embracing arms.

Psalm 94:8-15

The Shepherd's Voice

John 10:22-31 (NIV) The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 

The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus to say something they could run with. They wanted to hear Him say He was the Christ, not because they wanted to finally know the truth and follow Him. No, they wanted to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him. They wanted to destroy Him and put an end to His popularity.

Jesus cleverly pointed out the miracles He had performed could only have been accomplished by God, but they discounted them. Jesus reminded them that they did not believe and therefore did not belong to Christ. On the other hand, the disciples did believe and were considered part of Jesus' flock. They recognized His voice, they respected His Words and they followed Him.

Jesus' words to the Jews we not only meant to put them in their place; to let them know He knew their heart.  These words gave comfort and purpose to his followers.  We still read them today, we still understand that Jesus cares about His own and wants us to follow Him.  We are like sheep who are lost without His love and grace.

We are living in the world ruled by Satan, but we know he is not the victor. But we must be alert, ever watchful, and always following the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep by name.  

John 10:22-31

The Gate and The Shepherd - John 10:7-18

The gate to the sheep's pen was the only true access.  If anyone or anything were found to be inside and they did not enter from the gate - they were predators or thieves, and had no authority to be there.  The Shepherd would be expected to eliminate the intruder.

"Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep." (John 10:7)

One of my favorite pictures of Jesus is the one that depicts Him holding a lamb very close and it almost looks like Jesus is snuggling with the little creature.  It is a picture of compassion, love and peace.  The fact that Jesus cares enough to consider us His sheep and would go after us if we turned up missing is a beautiful picture.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)

Jesus knows us inside out, just as a shepherd knows his sheep.  Sheep also recognize the voice of their guardian and no other voice will they respond to in the same way.  As Christians, we distinguish the voice of our Shepherd when we corral ourselves in His Word, hear His voice and follow it to safety and salvation.

A shepherd will go to battle for his sheep, he will doggedly go after any that are lost or in danger.  We have a Shepherd who will do the same.

Read the John 10:7-18 text here.  Listen to a reading of the John 10:7-18 text here.