Good Shepherd

Jesus Our Shepherd

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Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6 ESV

We are nearing the six-month mark of a life that is completely different from anything we have known before. No plan, no relationship and no expectation has gone untouched. Churches have services online; large companies battle just to stay afloat, and the doors have been closed to family and visitors of long-term care facilities. But through everything you may have been through this year Jesus remains the Good Shepherd for anyone who comes to Him.

What exactly is a good shepherd? An ordinary shepherd is just the one who owns sheep, but a good shepherd is someone who cares about them. An ordinary shepherd drives his sheep where he wants them to go; but a good shepherd goes ahead of them to make sure the way is safe. Jesus told us that He is the good shepherd and that to make the way safe for us He gave His life. If we follow Him; He promises to walk ahead of us through everything that lies ahead. Why would we put our trust in anyone else? Only Jesus has given His life. Why not make Him our Good Shepherd today?

God Leads Us Along

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When God leads us on paths we have never walked we have an opportunity to learn more about what it means to really trust Him. When my wife’s battle with cancer began it turned both of our lives upside down. Our schedule, our plans and our relationship got thrown into the deep end of the pool. We suddenly had to draw on our faith in ways that we had talked about but had rarely put into practice. It was sink or swim time and on some days I was doing more sinking than swimming.

Now looking back two and a half years I can see God’s gracious love patiently snipping away a thousand loose ends of pride and selfishness. Thank God Nancy came through her surgery,six chemo treatments and physical rehab with flying colors. Now that we find ourselves on strange new path we can look back and see that through every misunderstanding, midnight pain and tearful prayer God has been faithful. Today’s verse reminds us that His grace is not because of our stellar behavior or goodness but for His own name’s sake. I recently heard Lindsay sing this hymn and was reminded that no matter the pathway God always leads us along!

He Knows My Name!

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But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:2-3 ESV As we approached, the little flock of sheep crossed the small gravel road and huddled together with […]

He Knows My Name!

I am reposting this from my nursing home blog as it seems to be something important to remember in the middle of the chaos. Jesus is calling our name and He knows right where we are.