“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize 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 know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” [John 10.1-5]
It is all too easy to forget that everything Jesus did is an example to us. Further along in John 10 Jesus claims that He is the gate. But then as He continues to speak, He claims also to be the good shepherd.
So, If Jesus is the gate, we are to be the gate.
If Jesus is the good shepherd, we are to be the good shepherd.
We cannot forget that our role and function on earth will and must be about people because people are the commodity of the Kingdom of God.
Here is the deal: if Jesus knows His sheep and they know His voice, and, we are to be like Jesus, then there are those who should know our voice (and they will be known by us). In particular, the good shepherd "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." My point is that unless we are praying for people by name, we cannot say we are being like Jesus to anyone. Furthermore, I have found that praying for people by name makes me know them even more - I've seen it too many times to believe it otherwise - there is a connection between praying for people by name and really knowing them.
Next subject...
Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’” [Luke 14.16-24]
I had to write about this today as well because if we believe the importance of Matthew 6.33 (that we should seek first the Kingdom of God), then here is further confirmation of what should be second, third, forth, and so on.
Some of the excuses that keep people out of the Kingdom of God are as follows:
Possessions - I have just bought a field and must inspect it
Career (work) - I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out
Family - I just got married, so I can’t come
If we are to believe that Jesus knew what He was talking about, we are probably in serious trouble because our priorities very much involve our possessions, career, and family. Oh, we claim God is first, but, more times than not our devotion to Him takes second place (or worse) to one or all of these.
Regardless of what we claim we are doing - if it impedes Kingdom work in our lives (which, by the way is a "feast with God") - we are in a perilous eternal condition. I didn't say it - Jesus did.
Father, help me today to not only absorb what You have shown me, but to really live it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment