MONDAY November 25th
John 10:7 ‘So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”’
John 10:11 ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”’
I mentioned in the last devotion as to how beautifully Jesus drew from the world of agriculture. I guess being a farmer’s son it brings back the good memories of being a child growing up on the farm. But it brings back to me the greatest of all my childhood memories, for when I was nine years old, another chapter where Jesus talked about sheep was preached from on the Sunday evening in the church I attended when I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ and personally came to know him as my Shepherd. From that day onward I could and still say The Lord is MY shepherd.
The portion of scripture that was preached from that evening was from Luke 15 and what we call the parable of the lost sheep, verses 3-7 ‘So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.’
I was lost but Jesus found me! I will jog our memories as to what I have called this series of devotions, ‘Jesus the very thought of thee’ and the song continues with ‘with sweetness fills my breast’, and as I am considering these ‘I am’ statements I hope that just as I am thrilled as to who Jesus is, and as to what he has done and who he is and as done for me that each one of us can say that the very thought of it all fills our lives with sweetness and gladness.
It is incredible to know that our blind eyes have been opened, our deaf ears have been opened, our hard hearts have been softened and our dead lives have been quickened and made alive again and all because of Jesus, who came as the light to give life, who came as the bread to satisfy, who came as the shepherd to find us and feed us and as the door that gives us access into heaven.
I was lost—that was my past, Jesus found me, Jesus leads me, Jesus watches over me, Jesus cares for me, that is my present, Jesus is coming for me, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, that is my future.
Can you say the same? For Jesus came into this world to find, seek, save those who are lost, and he calls out to you today and tells you that he loves you and wants you to come through the door and to be saved.