Postby Jaltus-bot » Thu Jan 06, 2005 3:53 pm
John 10:9-11
9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 10:10 is such a great verse not just because it tells us that Christ came to give life rather than to harm us, but because the life that John speaks of starts right when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. If we are distracted with the cares of this world, it may be hard to see, but Christ makes us spiritually alive, and the makes a difference in this life and in eternity. Not only do we have salvation, but we live without condemnation, with a relationship with a Heavenly Father that we can turn to in times of need, a sense of security knowing that He will care for us, guidance when we don’t know what to do, meaning and purpose behind our lives, and more. Living life with Christ truly can be living life on a higher plane.
The contrast created by mentioning what a thief does shows us even more that Jesus wants these good things for us. A thief tries to cover his tracks so that he is not seen, even by the one that he is stealing from. A thief steals, taking what is not his. A thief comes to kill and destroy.
Jesus says that He is standing at the door. He makes His presence known. There is nothing for Him to hide that should deter us from Him when we see who He is. He takes nothing that is not given and wants to give us life. Unlike a thief, Jesus comes to give us life. He is our Good Shepherd and as sheep in His flock, in or out of a place, through Him we find pasture. Through Him we find the peace and nourishment and whatever else we really need. That we might have this, He not only does not come to kill or destroy us but takes on that death for us. Now that is love and if we truly believe that He is the Son of God, able to overcome the death that a thief brings, we need nothing more than to continue living in Christ, with Him as our Lord and Savior to experience this life in abundance, in eternity and today-right here, right now. His promises are true and real today, tomorrow, and forever.
When I feel blue, I start breathing again.
Asdvadz hedut ullah! (W. Armenian, "May God bless you!")
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