“I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”
John 10:10-11 (GW) What’s in our hearts often determines what we feel when we look at people. When we see a crowd, we can easily get irritated or impatient. But when Jesus saw a crowd, “he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36 ESV). That’s the same way God looks at you: with compassion. He doesn’t put you down. He lifts you up! No matter how angry, hurt, or betrayed you feel, Jesus will always respond with compassion. He knows how helpless we are without him, “like sheep without a shepherd.” Without a shepherd, sheep are defenseless. They don’t have any claws, they don’t run fast, and their teeth are not very sharp. They need the protection of a shepherd. Throughout the Bible, sheep are a symbol of God’s people. John 10:10-11 says, “I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep” (GW). That kind of compassion comes only from Jesus, our Good Shepherd. And it’s different from sympathy and empathy. Sympathy says, “I’m sorry you’re hurt,” and it stops there. Empathy is a deeper commitment that says, “I hurt with you.” But compassion says, “I will do anything it takes to stop your hurt.” And that is, in essence, what Jesus did through his life, death, and resurrection. He did anything it took to stop your hurt, even if it meant dying on the cross, even if it meant having nails pounded through his hands and feet. Compassion does whatever it takes. Jesus said the reason he came was “not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NLT). Notice the two words “serve” and “give.” They define what it means to follow Jesus. Do you look at people who are hurting and helpless the way Jesus does? Are you full of love and compassion, willing to do whatever you can to stop their pain? The Bible repeatedly tells us that when Jesus looked at people in pain, he was moved with compassion. God wants you to be like him, which means looking at others the same way.
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“My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
John 10:10-11 (TLB) Sheep are essentially defenseless animals, so a shepherd carries a few tools to care for and protect his sheep. He has a rod for guarding and protecting, and he uses a staff with a little crook in it to rescue the sheep. We are like lost sheep in need of protection and direction—so Jesus came to Earth to be our Good Shepherd. He said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:10-11 TLB). Just as a shepherd uses the physical tools of the rod and the staff for direction and protection, God wants to direct and protect you. Here are two ways he does that: If you follow him, Jesus leads you in the right direction. If you visit a major city like Paris without a guide, you’ll miss all kinds of important things, because you won’t know what to look for. The same is true with your life. You need a guide—a shepherd—to go before you. You need Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who leads from the front and calls you forward. This is different from being a cowboy, who drives cattle from the back. Jesus is not going to push you through life. He gets in front of you and essentially says, “Watch how I do it. Look where I go.” John 10:4 says, “When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice” (CEV). If you bring your hurts to him, Jesus is compassionate. Jesus has compassion on us, because he knows that we are helpless without him. Matthew 9:36 says, “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (NIV). The sense in the original Greek text is that Jesus hurt deeply for the people in the crowd and wanted to help them. In the same way, when you bring your pain to Jesus, he doesn’t put you down; he lifts you up. He doesn’t hassle you; he heals you. Because of God’s goodness, Jesus directs and protects you. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 ESV). “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4 (NLT) What are you worried about today? The economy? Your health? Your bills? Your kids? Are you worried about the future? The fact is there are a lot of reasons to be afraid in today’s world. But God promises that, even in your darkest valleys, he is walking beside you. It’s interesting to note that there are 365 verses in the Bible that say, “Fear not.” God provided us with one “Fear not” message for every day of the year! He wants us to hear the message: Don’t be afraid”? Why does God have to repeat himself so often when it comes to our worries and fears? It’s because our hurts and hang-ups can often cause us to think that God is out to get us, that all he wants to do is condemn us and punish us. But that simply isn’t true. Jesus is the proof of that. When you understand God’s grace and mercy, then you have no need to fear the future. God isn’t trying to get even with you. Jesus has taken the penalty for everything you’ve ever done wrong or will do wrong. He paid for it on the cross. So, when a bad thing happens, you don’t have to think, “God’s getting even with me.” Instead, remember, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 NLT). But you can’t just say this Scripture and then expect all your fears to go away once and for all. These are verses you will have to pray over and over again as your human nature slips back into worry. But keep praying. Keep reminding yourself of God’s promises. They never fail! “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again . . . we know that God raised the Lord Jesus to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 14 (CEV) When the future is uncertain and there is a lot of fear, it might seem like your story is coming to an end. But the Bible says, “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again . . . we know that God raised the Lord Jesus back to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 14 CEV). When life seems uncertain, remember this truth: You can’t lose! You’ll win in the end, no matter what happens. Even if you lose your life, you’re going straight into the presence of God if you believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. And when you arrive in heaven, your story is just at the beginning. Have you ever watched a TV show where every single episode ended in a cliffhanger and left you thinking the hero might not survive? Even though it’s just a story, the tension can feel enormous. But what if all the episodes from all the seasons of the television series were all together, the complete series available through a streaming service or a collection of DVDs. Then, when you’re watching a cliffhanger episode that’s from the first season, you wouldn’t feel as much tension because you know the hero survives for another six seasons. When you know the series will continue, then you know each episode is not the end of the story. The hero will make it out of a tight spot and on to the next season. That’s how your life is. Even when you’re in a difficult circumstance, you know that the tough spot isn’t the end of your story. You can live with hope in the middle of a crisis when you have an eternal perspective. One day, when you meet Jesus in heaven, all your pain, sickness, sorrow, sadness, stress, and grief will end. Here’s what you have to look forward to in heaven: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4 NIV). This life is not the end of the story. We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future. “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV) When a crisis hits, you have to do the smart things necessary to get through it. You listen to God’s Word and godly advice, you make good choices, and you keep moving forward while remembering that this will pass. It’s not going to last forever! The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:12, “Dear friends, don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you” (TLB). In this world, there will be times of trial and testing. It’s guaranteed! Since sin entered the world, nothing works perfectly. Everything on this planet is broken—the weather, the economy, your body, and even your best plans. Nothing works perfectly in this life because sin broke everything on Earth. Isaiah 24 says, “The land suffers for the sins of its people . . . [they] have twisted the laws of God and broken his everlasting commands . . . The earth has broken down in utter collapse” (Isaiah 24:4-5, 19 TLB). On Earth, everything is lost, abandoned, and confused. Even nature is groaning. We may wonder why God allowed sin and evil to enter the world; it’s because God wanted us to have a choice. And we’re the ones who have chosen to cause evil. We’re the ones who are selfish and self-centered and cause problems in society and in our environment. This Earth is not heaven. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray the Lord’s Prayer—”your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NIV). Heaven is a perfect place with no sorrow, sickness, sadness, or stress, but we shouldn’t expect heaven on Earth. One day we’ll get there, but we’re not there yet. You will get through whatever trial you’re facing right now. Soon enough you will marvel at all that God did in the midst of your trouble as you look at it from the other side. There will be more challenges to face and adversity to endure. But you can always hope in this truth: “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV). “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Psalm 23:4 (NIV) You may not be in the valley of the shadow of death right now, but you may be in another valley. Valleys are the hard places on your journey, where it’s easy to doubt or overlook God’s goodness. But you can always trust that God walks through the valleys with you. And he’s promised to bring you through to the other side. Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (NIV). Here are three truths to remember when you are in the valley: 1. You are not alone. God is with you. The shadows in your life are evidence of the presence of light. How do you deal with a shadow? You turn your back to the shadow and look at the light. Jesus said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life” (John 8:12 CEV). The Bible says that God is light and that in him there is no darkness at all. You need to stop focusing on the dark things that scare you: those bills, health concerns, or worries about your children or aging parents. When you move your focus off your fears, you can focus on the Father. 2. God has a good purpose for your valley. God cannot do evil. Even when you’re facing problems, conflict, grief, fear, or failure, God is at work, creating good from your valley. Romans 5:3-5 says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (ESV). 3. The reward will last forever. You’re going to be rewarded for remaining faithful to Christ in the valley of failure, in the valley of fear, in the valley of conflict, in the valley of grief, and in the valley of trouble. You’ll be in heaven less than a minute before thinking, “Why did I complain so much? Why did I worry when I was going through those valleys? God was right there with me all the time, and he was good to me all the time.” As the Bible says, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT). “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!”
Psalm 77:19 (NLT) The Bible says God actively works through your circumstances. But you cannot judge your situation apart from God’s wisdom. In other words, you must leave it up to God to interpret your circumstances. Only he is capable of understanding all the facts, and only he sees the significance of every detail. That’s why it is so important that you test it all by his Word. If you feel overwhelmed or confused about a decision, it might be because you’re so caught up in in your own, limited way of thinking, that it blocks out God’s voice. The Bible says, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV). He is not the author of confusion. So if you’re feeling confused, guess what? It’s not God’s voice speaking in your life. There will be times you come up against enormous financial, spiritual, or physical barriers. That’s when you need to confess, “God, there are mountains on either side and an impassable barrier in front of me.” And then you wait for God to respond and assure you that he’s got you exactly where he wants you to be. He will make a pathway where there seems to be no way. Psalm 77:19 says, “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!” (NLT) When you don’t know what to do, God will guide you. He didn’t design you to go through life on your own ingenuity and power. You don’t have to just hope you can figure things out. God wants to lead you on the right path, and he will do that when you surrender to him and his guidance. “But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings . . . All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him.”
Isaiah 53:5-6 (NASB) Every one of us has a good reason to feel guilt. Not one does everything right! We hurt other people. We act selfishly. Often the unkindest things we say and do are to the people we love the most. Just like you can’t hide your sins from God, you can’t hide your guilt from him either. Not only that, but when you try to cover up your guilty feelings, they start to eat at you on the inside. Only one thing works to get rid of guilt: Confess your sins, and trust in God’s forgiveness. The word “confession” in the Bible in Greek is homologeo. Homo means “same.” Logeo means “to speak.” So confession simply means to agree with God: “You’re right, God. I was wrong.” Everything you’re going to do wrong—including the stuff you’re going to do tomorrow, next week, and 10 years from now—has already been paid for. That is the goodness of God. Jesus takes all your guilt on himself. He gives you his goodness—his righteousness. This is the most basic, fundamental truth of the Bible: Your broken soul becomes whole again in him. The Bible says in Isaiah 53:5-6, “But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings . . . All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him” (NASB). If you don’t feel forgiven, it means you don’t fully understand God’s goodness. When Jesus died, he covered all your sins, threw them into the deepest part of the sea, and put up a “No Fishing” sign. Confess your sin to God. And because he forgives and forgets your sin, you’ll have no need to drag it out again. “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.”
John 15:5 (CEV) It’s better to rest in God’s goodness than to be overwhelmed with work and worry. But it’s also easier said than done. It can be hard to take the steps that lead to rest and the abundant life God has for you. Here are four daily habits that will help move you from overwhelmed to overflowing. 1. Stay connected to Jesus every day. “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me” (John 15:5 CEV). If you try to go through life on your own power, you’re going to be overwhelmed. You cannot fulfill your purpose and enjoy God’s goodness unless you’re plugged in to his power. 2. Replace your complaining with gratefulness. “Do everything without complaining and arguing” (Philippians 2:14 NLT). Complaining is a deeply unhealthy emotion. On the other hand, studies have shown that gratitude is the healthiest emotion. It produces serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin in your brain; those are the chemicals that boost happiness and lower stress. 3. Stop being stingy, and start being generous. “Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things” (Malachi 3:10 GNT). God wired a universal law into the world: The more you give away, the more you’re going to get. God did that because he wants you to become more like him—and he is a giver. 4. Stop comparing, and start being content. “It is better to be content with what little you have. Otherwise, you will always be struggling for more, and that is like chasing the wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:6 NCV). Contentment doesn’t mean you don’t have any goals, dreams, or plans for your life. It simply means you don’t need more in order to be happy. By nature, people are discontent. But by God’s grace, you can rest contently in his goodness to you. When you grasp that most things in your life are simply gracious gifts from God, your life will go from overwhelming to overflowing with God’s abundance. “[God] knows what we are made of; he remembers that we are dust.”
Psalm 103:14 (GNT) Your failures don’t surprise God. In fact, he expects them! The Bible says, “[God] knows what we are made of; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14 GNT). He knows what you’re made of because he created you. God won’t stop loving you when you mess up. He doesn’t love you because of who you are or what you’ve done but because of who he is and what he has done. God made you. He loves you. It’s settled. You can’t make God love you more. You can’t make God love you less. He loves you just as much on your bad days as he does on your good days. His love is not performance-based. The Bible has a word for this kind of love: grace. And it’s absolutely amazing! Even when you do ridiculously bad things, God won’t stop loving you. It truly is amazing grace. When you accept his grace, you can relax about your failures and have the confidence to take more risks in life. You may have gone to God multiple times for forgiveness on the same issue. Maybe you’re not sure you deserve his love and grace. (You can settle that now: You don’t.) And you’re convinced that God has grown tired of your constant efforts at change. (He hasn’t.) God never tires of a conversation with you. He’s never too busy. No matter how many times you go to him for forgiveness, he’ll always be waiting with open arms. You may have grown up in a home where conditional love was the norm. Your parents’ affections may have been based on your academic, athletic, or social successes. When you failed in one of those areas, you felt the loss of your family’s love. You can relax. That is not how God deals with you. The Bible says God “canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14 NCV). The Christian life isn’t a mistake-free life, but it can be a guilt-free life. God understands your failures—and he loves you anyway. That’s God’s amazing grace! It is his goodness to you, and you can rest in it today. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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