Be A Good Shepherd

John 10:11-13  -  “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  A hired man will run when he sees a wolf coming and will leave the sheep, for they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf leaps on them and scatters the flock. The hired man runs because he is hired and has no real concern for the sheep.

 

Jesus used the image of the common shepherd to help His disciples understand how very much He loved them. He was the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. He was not hired out for any reason. He chose to be a voluntary shepherd…who came of his own free will because of love….because of obedience to His father….because He had a passion to save the world …because the humans God had hired just could not complete the job.

 

Jesus made a way for all of us to follow in His footsteps.  We no longer need to pay for our salvation.  He paid the price for us. He can embed our hearts with the same love…the same commitment…the same passion to be a good shepherd of the world too. When we accept Jesus and believe in Him with all our heart and soul and mind He can give us the same ability to do things for love…to be committed to just God….and to love others more than we love ourselves.

 

I admit that I still struggle with the last two…doing things for love comes natural to a mom and two time nana. The commitment part and loving others more than I do myself is a bit harder to pull off consistently.  I needed the reminder to call on the good shepherd more so I could be a little more consistent in being voluntary…committed all the time….and being less selfish.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that God is my good shepherd and knows me better than I know myself.  Forgive me for all the times I have forgotten to call on Him to help me be more committed and less selfish.  Help me to remember the great sacrifice He made to give me life…so I can be a good shepherd like Him while I am on this Earth.  Amen.