GPS Guide – December 6, 2018

GREAT JOY

Thursday

Read: John 10:11-16

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.  The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” (NIV John 10:11-16)

Study:  Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd” to a culture where the Pharisees and aristocrats often saw shepherds as “uneducated, unsophisticated, and unclean” (The Journey: A Season of Reflections). Yet God honored shepherds at Jesus’ birth and Jesus undoubtedly grew up hearing the story. King David himself was a shepherd. And God spoke through prophets who compared God’s tender care for his people to a shepherd. Being a shepherd was hard in part because sheep are literally incapable of finding food, shelter, or safety without the shepherd. Following the good shepherd means being one of his “sheep.” Can you accept your need for the good shepherd to guide you?

Prayer:  I ask that you humble me today, Oh God. I seek to follow you and rely solely on your good guidance.  Amen