I AM: Discovering the Nature of Jesus!
Friday, March 12, 2004
My Prayer Today
Dear Jesus, I thank you that you are may doorway to true peace and joy. I would never have been able to find it on my own. You have given me true life, and I worship you. I ask that you would continue to grant me peace and joy this day. My circumstances are not always great, but I know that I can stand in the middle of trouble and sense a deep peace because of you. Help me to experience this today. I cannot make it without you today. I love you and I need you. In your name I pray, Amen.
God's Word Today
John 10:1-10
"I assure you, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! For a shepherd enters through the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice." They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't recognize his voice." Those who head Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what he meant, so he explained it to them. 'I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep,' he said. 'All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."
Reflecting on God's Word
According to verse 9, where will the Shepherd lead those who are his sheep?
What type of "pastures" will these sheep find? What does this mean?
Is there any place that the sheep will go where this is not the case?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
What does Psalm 23 have to share about where the Shepherd leads the sheep?
List several things that are attributed in Psalm 23 to where a shepherd leads us.
Understanding God's Purpose
Does God desire that we live in safety, security, and peace? How so?
Does peace and security mean that there will be no more troubles? If not, what does "green pastures" mean?
Is it hard for you to find peace in the middle of trouble? Why?
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
Do you sense God's peace and joy? If not, where does it come from?
Can you see peace and joy in other Christians? If so, ask them how they obtained this.
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you his peace and joy today.
Thoughts
It was once said that "peace is not the absence of conflict, but rather the tranquility of order." In other words, one can have peace while standing in the midst of trouble. There can be peace in the middle of the storm. In an age where there is everything but peace, it is no wonder that people are so hungry for something deeper in their lives. People are seeking to escape the deep reality of their lives -- the mess of sin.
Jesus says in John 10:9, "Yes I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures." It is important to realize that Jesus was not promising Christians a freedom from trouble, conflict, and suffering, but rather an inner peace in the middle of all it. Green pastures is a place of safety, security, and peace through knowing that our names our written in the Book of Life and we are saved. Jesus is our door to salvation and our door to true peace and joy. This is not a superficial joy that comes and goes every day, but rather a deep inner joy that permeates the core of our being. Jesus leads us to green pastures because He is our door. We can stand in our pain and know that we have eternal life. Our momentary troubles are nothing compared to the glory that is waiting to be revealed in us through Jesus!
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