Your Good Shepherd
Shepherding has been a vital part of Middle Eastern life for thousands of years. And 2,000 years ago in ancient Israel, shepherds played an especially important role in the local economy.
Shepherds would not only lead their sheep to green pastures and freshwater, but they would also defend their flocks against predators, robbers, and other natural threats. They would nurture the weak, chase after wandering sheep, fix fences, persevere through extreme weather, and endure long seasons of loneliness.
If necessary, a shepherd would even put himself in harm’s way, risking his own life for his sheep.
It’s this ordinary, lonely life that Jesus chose to use to explain who He was to His people…
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
John 10:11 ESV
By using a tangible example that first-century Jews would have understood, Jesus revealed characteristics about Himself.
Just like a shepherd, Jesus was—and is—humble, selfless, hardworking, concerned with the details of our lives, tender, brave, dedicated, and unafraid to lay down His life for His people.
But Jesus isn’t just a good shepherd; He is the Good Shepherd— and He wants to be your personal shepherd. So will you let Him? Will you trust Him with your life today?
Isaiah 1:17 NKJV
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor,
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow,
#verseoftheday #alwaysreadincontext
“Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death. Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel. And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God: but the word ...