John 10 - my Good Shepherd

one of my favorite things to study in the Bible are the characteristics of Jesus. i love how one story He's multiplying fish for thousands of people&the next He's letting the little kids sit on His lap. He is incredible. but there is one portrayal of Jesus that just really gets me - the story of the Good Shepherd.

you see, i really like cute stories&happy endings. i love knowing that the innocent princess is being protected by her hero. and in this story, we get to see Jesus as our total HERO. we get to see how much He just loves&cares for us - it says 'He calls His own sheep by name&leads them...He walks ahead of them&they follow Him because they recognize His voice' [10:3-4]. not only is He head over heels in love with His sheep, but He promises that He will ALWAYS protect them&wherever they go they will find green pastures' [10:9].

so let's think about this - He knows us; He calls us by our names; He leads us, protects us AND provides total comfort&blessings - more than we could EVER ask for or need! what more could we possibly want!? but..He goes even further. He tells us that 'the Good Shepherd will lay down His life for His sheep&that they will never perish - He will give them eternal life!' [10:27]. we get to be with Him forever just because He loves&cares about us SO stinkin' much. now if that isn't the greatest 'hero' story you've ever heard...i think we have a problem.

so now all there is left to do is follow the Shepherd. when He calls you, LISTEN. when He leads you, FOLLOW. when He protects you&comforts you, LET HIM. i promise you, you won't regret it.

here it goes..

hey, blogger world:) now i gotta say, it's kinda high pressure publishing your first blog post. especially when right now, i'm just writing to yourself. but i guess that's okay? it is my 'diary' after all;) so here it goes...

so i think i'm gonna start with a little spiritual encouragement. i heard the song tonight 'You Are Good' (like above) and it was such a good reminder of just how GOOD God is. how often do we shut our freaking mouths up and just look around at God's goodness. He has done so much for us...and He did it all for free. you and i don't have to pay a penny for all of the blessings He's given us. He asks just one thing of us - to receive it. i don't know about you...but i'd say we got it pretty good. how many times do our parents have to ask us to 'receive' our b-day or christmas presents!? yup, not very often...and when we do receive them, we are THANKFUL. we are thankful because we know that they went out, bought exactly what we were wishing for and gave it to us, just because they love us. you getting it? Jesus did this..and took it to the extreme. hello, He gave His LIFE! that's a little more than those jeans you were really wishing for. so the least that we can do in return is be thankful. praise Him because He is good and He is faithful. He will never leave us and He always wants the best for us! now THAT is a good gift:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=got6Olg0J-E just take 5 minutes and listen to this song - i promise if you really focus on the words, you will be hit with a revelation of how GOOD He is!