It was so good to be back at our church yesterday; though I have to retrain my brain to listen in Spanish. The sermon was from John 10, a passage where Jesus calls himself the good shepherd. The speaker pointed out that Jesus was referring to passages in the Old Testament where God declares Himself the Good Shepherd (Ezekiel 34; David's reference in Psalm 23). I decided o spend my quiet time yesterday studying these chapters. Some thoughts that stuck out to me:
-Jesus says that His sheep know His voice and follow Him. As I read this, I realized that if I know His voice (which I can't unless I'm spending time with Him) then even in times of fog or "darkness" I will be able to hear Him and follow where He leads. However, so many times the fog overwhelms me and I lose focus on His voice.
-In Ezekiel 34, God tells the current "shepherds" of Israel (the leaders) that He will come and take back His flock, because the current leaders are not caring for them, but using them. In contrast, in John 10 Christ says that He lays down His life for His sheep. This is the opposite view- He is willing to serve and sacrifice for His sheep (even though He is the shepherd and the sheep are there to serve Him)!
-Also, in John 10 Christ says He chooses to lay down His life (it is a choice He made, and He did it willingly because it was the only way.
Those were some of my ponderings in response to the sermon. For more "Sunday Ponderings," check out Ashley's website.
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