Thread by @GPrater85015

#GeraldsDevotional
Real Life with the Real Shepherd

This morning the LORD woke me up with this theme of the “real life” that He promised to us. Then He pointed me to His teaching about the Good Shepherd in John chapter 10. This is another lesson about the promises of God. You see, He reminded me that He promised us life eternal

with Him and then He showed us how He sealed that promise with Himself. So everything that we observe in this life, we should see through that lens of His eternal promise to us.

But He also promised that our lives in this world would not be without difficulty (John 16:33). These

difficulties in this life will come to us because there is an impostor (of Jesus), a thief who comes to us with the intention to kill, to steal and to destroy. He wants to steal our eternal lives by deceiving us into following him and his evil ways. The thief does this by

convincing many that evil is good and that good is evil (Isaiah 5:20).

But to the flock that has given their lives to the good and true Shepherd, He has already secured their eternal life and it can not be taken away. Knowing this, does the thief give up on trying to steal from

them? No, not at all. He then tries to steal, kill and destroy their peace in this life (again, remember John 16:33 and how Jesus ends that verse). Even though we are in this world right now and we are observing all that is going on around us, we should still have our focus on

our eternal promise.

Yes, we do indeed see all of the troubles and storms raging around us, but we recognize the true source of those problems (our invisible enemy, the thief) and we literally refuse to allow him to steal our joy or our peace. Yes indeed, we are sheep, we are

living real lives and we recognize the voice of our Real Shepherd.

He whispers to us with His gentle voice “Do not fear.”

Jesus the True Shepherd
1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief

and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him,

for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Jesus the Good Shepherd
7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in

and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he

who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know

My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

- John 10:1-16

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