JESUS SPEAKING
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd.” (John 10: 11 – 14)
FAITHFUL THOUGHTS
Sheep are helpless animals that have no natural defenses. They rely entirely on the shepherd for protection. According to Jesus, the presence of genuine love cannot be fully discerned in the absence of sacrifice. Risking one’s own life to protect something important proves ownership and affection for that thing. In love, Jesus Christ laid down His life for countless numbers of men and women.
In 2022 a deranged man entered a Uvalde elementary school and began shooting students; eventually killing 21 people. What makes this terrible tragedy unique is that armed police officers arrived on the scene almost immediately (at 11:35 am), but did not enter the besieged classrooms at that time. Instead, they gathered around the parameter and did nothing while children were dying. In fact, they waited an entire 1 hour and 15 minutes before entering the room to kill the gunman (at 1:50 pm.) Simply put, they failed to act because their children weren’t in the affected classrooms. They were someone else’s kids. Around the same time, an off duty Customs and Boarder Patrol agent named Jacob Albarado was at a barbershop when he received the news about the active school shooting. Unlike the other officers, his daughter was attending the school, and his wife was a teacher there. The unarmed man borrowed a shotgun from his barber and raced to the school. He entered without hesitation and found his wife, whom he evacuated to safety. He then entered several classrooms until he found his daughter; she and her classmates were immediately evacuated. Jacob accomplished these tasks because his wife and daughter belonged to him. His love was genuine. (Note: this message is in no way meant to impugn good law enforcement officers around the world; as there are many.)
In the same way, Jesus Christ is the good Shepherd. He loves us because we belong to Him. He has proven His affections for us by sacrificing Himself upon the cross for our salvation. May we then, as His sheep, live in such a way as to please Him, and may we remain obedient to His will at all times.
“Lord Heavenly Father, we thank You for the love You have shown us through Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we intimately know You and be driven to accomplish Your will in this place. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You; and we ask and pray all of these things according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!
