“ ‘I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

(John 10:11)

            The Gospel of John is famous because seven times Jesus is quoted as saying, “I am…”  We started our journey of pondering the names for God by looking at Psalm 23 when King David says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  John expands our understanding of “good shepherd” by including the willingness of the good shepherd to sacrifice himseslf for the sake of the sheep.  God is our protector.

         For those of us who had good parents or are in the process of parenting children, we understand the many decisions we make daily about how to stretch our money when our child, or important other, needs something that we want to give them.   Sacrificing for another is not uncommon.  Laying down our life, actually dieing for another, is considered an act of valor often associated with military appreciation or acts of heroism.  We would relate the above verse to Christ’s death on the cross.          As I have pondered the cross and Christ laying down his life for me, the explanation I have come to love is that Christ who was God did not need to die because he did not commit sin but he willingly walked through death to show me that nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even our sins.  He humbled himself, went through all the humiliation of crucifixion, and so was a living proof of a God who sees, who care, and who still loves us.  As you think about protection right now, pray for the fear that plagues you or the fear you might have for another.   God hears and understands.  Blessings

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023 at 8:21 am and is filed under Spiritual Vitamins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.