John 10:7-13
…so he explained it to them.
“I
am the Gate for the sheep,” he said. “All others who came before me
were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.
Yes, I am the Gate. Those who come in by way of the Gate will be saved
and will go in and out and find green pastures. The thief’s purpose is
to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its
fullness.
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep. A hired man will run when he sees a wolf coming
and will leave the sheep, for they aren’t his and he isn’t their
shepherd. And so the wolf leaps on them and scatters the flock. The
hired man runs because he is hired and has no real concern for the
sheep.
The Living Bible
copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights
reserved.
A few years ago, my mother-in-law came over
for dinner one spring evening. As she left, Greg and I walked her out
onto our porch and toward her car, which was parked just a few feet away
on our driveway. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of
something. I looked over and saw what turned out to be a
more-than-five-foot-long rat snake wound around the base of our wrought
iron lantern. I promptly screamed and ran back inside the house –
leaving Greg and his mother standing on the driveway! I was the “hired
man” who deserted his flock!
Yes, I am that afraid of snakes!
Hopefully, had I been with the little children rather than two grown
adults, I would have remained a bit more calm and ushered them to
safety. And thankfully, this big guy was relatively harmless and
slithered on his way about a half hour later…hopefully to protect our
yard from the poisonous reptiles that could actually do us some harm!
In
life, we are so often like the “hired man.” At the first sign of
trouble or controversy, we tuck tail and run. And I get that there are
times when it is appropriate to say, “Not my circus – not my monkeys.”
But there are lots of times when Jesus is calling us to trust Him…to
stay in step with Him and trust that He’s got our back. There are
moments when we must stand up and demonstrate Christian faith, love,
grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness – even when many would turn and
run.
We hear Jesus calling us to stand up for what He has
taught us…to remain calm and stand still in the presence of the snake.
And we have a choice…to remain faithful that He’s got our back and do
what He asks…or turn away – and essentially deny His sovereignty in our
lives. It’s often a tough call…I get that! But how deep IS your
faith? How much do you really trust Jesus to know better than you?
It
is time for us to stand our ground with Jesus…to take what may often be
an unpopular position as we declare Him the final authority in our
lives – and our every thought and action. The end results will be
amazing…of that I am certain. And I’m all in…what about you?
Will
this be the day that you stand firmly behind Jesus…or scream and run
away from the “snakes” of this world? Who is your good Shepherd…and do you
really know Him? Isn’t it time you did?
© Debbie Robus
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