Good Shepherd

Who is This?

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Who is this? What a very strange question to ask after all that they had already seen. When they saw water changed to wine, the blind seeing, and bread multiplied, they thought they knew who Jesus was. But when they were delivered from death it dawned on them that they had missed entirely on who they were sailing with.

When Jacob asked, he was not told.

When Moses asked God said , “I am!”

When the disciples asked Jesus brought them safely to the other side of the sea.

Who is this to you and me? He is the master of any storm, Alpha and Omega and the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep!

God’s Service Department

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If you have worked in the service department of any store you know that returns can be a challenge. People lose their receipts or bring in things that are just worn out with age. Worse yet some try returning items that came from another store. All of this takes time and patience and tempers sometimes flare. But no matter what the problem, the goal is to restore confidence and put things back in their rightful place.

Today’s scripture talks about a different kind of returning. We are the ones who need to be returned to where we belong. We have forgotten where home is and spiritually speaking have lost our receipt. But nothing can prevent God from restoring us. We can be accepted whether we are worn out, broken or even purchased at another store. God is in the business of returns so don’t even think of giving up. Right now He is willing to accept us as his own and become the Shepherd of our souls!

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 2:25

Passing Through the Notch

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Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me Psalm 23:4 NRSV

Coming home from work I used to drive through a notch

KIMG0848in the hills called Sugar Hollow. The interesting thing about the place was that in late afternoon the angle of the surrounding hills blocked out most of the sun when it was low on the horizon. You would drive out of bright sunshine into a sort of twilight for a few miles. Then after a few long minutes suddenly the shadows lifted and the sun came shone again as you passed through to the other side.

That passing through may be what you are experiencing today. Maybe everything seemed pretty normal in your life till unexpectedly the boss called you into the office or the doctor called about those test results. The bright sunshine of your day in a moment changed to a shadowy path. If you are at all like me it feels at those moments that even the most familiar of lP1020256and-marks seem strangely different in darkness. That is the time to remind ourselves to hang on and keep going. We do not need to panic. Jesus has promised to be with us always. Whatever deep river, hot fire or dark valley that lies ahead is temporary. Just past the shadows of the notch we are passing through, His road will lead us into sunshine and all the way home!

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