Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
April 11, 2022
Read John 10:1-6
1 I assure you that whoever doesn’t enter into the sheep pen through the gate but climbs over the wall is a thief and an outlaw. 2 The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The guard at the gate opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 Whenever he has gathered all of his sheep, he goes before them and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger but will run away because they don’t know the stranger’s voice.” 6 Those who heard Jesus use this analogy didn’t understand what he was saying.
Good Morning, Take time to be kind today!
Jesus is our Good Shepherd! The shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep as Jesus laid down his life for us.
We live in a very noisy world. The sounds of progress surround us and it is sometimes hard to find quiet time. Have you ever been in a crowd desperately looking for someone? You search everywhere but you can’t see them because of all the people. You may even become frantic in your search. When you finally come together, you feel relieved that your search is over. The person that you were searching for says, “I was calling your name. Couldn’t you hear me?” You respond, “No, there was too much noise!”
I feel that our modern world is filled with times when there is too much noise, and there are too many distractions. Our ears are so overwhelmed by the constant noise, that we could miss the Good Shepherd calling us! Likewise, we miss the obvious signs placed along our path because of the visual overload that is the 21st century. Perhaps, our greatest challenge is to be able to find our own place and time within the chaos to see the signs and listen for Jesus calling us.
Jesus provides the gateway through which we access God. Without Jesus, our path is blocked by sin. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14-16
Loving and Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. We are blessed by You and we live each day for You. Help us to set aside time to spend with You. Thank You! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Today I will take extra time to listen for God’s voice.
Open your eyes and ears! Pastor Liz
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