In the book of John chapter 10 starting with verse 1, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! ² But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

⁶ Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, ⁷ so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. ¹⁰ The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

In these verses, Jesus is telling us that He is the way to heaven, He is the gate. In John 14:6, “Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” God the Father loves all people, He also loves His Son, Jesus. For people who reject His Son, which means they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, they will not be able to reach the Father and bypass Jesus. The path to the Father is through Jesus. Those who come through Jesus by their belief in Jesus will be saved.

The thief that Jesus refers to is the enemy, his sole goal is to steal and kill and destroy you and me. There are only 2 paths before every human, choose Jesus or reject Jesus. Not making a choice is a choice, it is the same as rejecting Jesus.

Jesus continues speaking in John chapter 10, verse 11. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, ¹⁵ just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.”

Jesus has already given His life for you, yes, you. When you believe that, you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the teacher who helps you learn about Jesus and the Father. The Holy Spirit helps you know Jesus, just like the Father knows Jesus and Jesus knows the Father. Praise God that we have a Good Shepherd who loves us so very much!

Let’s pray. Thank You for loving us, exactly as we are. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

In Luke 15:3 we read, “Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”

At one time, all followers of Jesus were that one lost sheep. We were that one that Jesus pursued in love until we finally said yes to Jesus.

 This time of year, we may be in contact with people that we do not interact with as frequently. Whether the gatherings are for a meal or to attend a play that family and friends are in, take this time to be aware of who the lost people are. As you move through crowds, celebrations, traditions or write letters and cards, pray about who is the one that Jesus wants you to reach out to about Him.

Each one of us has someone in our life that does not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If you cannot think of anyone, pray for God to show you. Jesus will never stop seeking those He loves, which is every single person on this planet. Jesus was there when we were the one lost sheep, He will be there for them too.

Let’s pray. Thank You for loving us, exactly as we are. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Matthew 25:31 through 33 says, “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.”

As followers of Jesus, we are God’s flock, we are His sheep. Jesus is our Shepherd and when He returns, He will separate those who belong to Him and are on the way to heaven with those who do not belong to Him.

What makes a sheep different than a goat?

Jesus explains in Matthew chapter 25 starting in verse 34. 

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

⁴¹ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. ⁴² For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

⁴⁵ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Those who feed the hungry or thirsty or help a stranger or clothe the naked or visit the sick or those in prison are the sheep. May we serve our Lord as He has asked His sheep to do these things.

Let’s pray. Thank You for loving us, exactly as we are. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

In Matthew 10:16 Jesus says, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”

What does this verse mean?

As we go through life, we will encounter people that want to hurt those who follow Jesus. They are like wolves, they want to hurt us, the sheep. But Jesus tells us to be harmless like doves. The word “harmless” is defined as lacking intent to injure. As followers of Jesus, we are to represent peace, goodness, light, love, and truth. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers in Matthew 5:9, He says, “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”

James 3:18 says, “And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Romans 12:18 says, “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

The Holy Spirit is described as a dove in Matthew 3:16, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him”. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit in us providing us with the peace of Christ. As we go about our day, may we remember to follow the Holy Spirit and lead with peace in every interaction.

Let’s pray. Thank You for loving us, exactly as we are. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

In Matthew 10:16 Jesus says, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”

What does this verse mean?

As we go through this life, there will be people that we encounter that will want to hurt those who follow Jesus. These people are like wolves, they want to tear apart the sheep. We are the sheep.

There will be situations that the enemy tries to destroy God’s flock of believers. This may be through gossip, lies, politics, war, abuse, or many other tactics. Anything that causes separation amongst believers, whether in the same church or the global church of believers, the wolves will use because they want you separated. They want you alone and feeling alone, even though you know you are never apart from Jesus. Never.

Jesus tells us to be shrewd like snakes. The word “shrewd” is defined as having excellent judgment and being wise. We are to be aware of who and what we encounter and assess whether they represent good, light, love, and truth.

To determine if someone is a wolf, read 1 John 4:1. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

Let’s pray. Thank You for loving us, exactly as we are. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Matthew 9:35 says, “Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.”

That is how humans are without Jesus, we are confused and helpless. We wander the earth feeling alone, wondering why we are here and what is the purpose of life.

If you feel confused or helpless, do not be alone anymore. Give your heart to Jesus. All you have to do is believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that is it. There is no fancy ritual or act to be performed. Simply declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Let’s pray. Thank You for loving us, exactly as we are. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.