Jesus used this metaphor to communicate with his followers. The survival of sheep depends on the existence of a shepherd who cares.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”
John 10: 11-16 (NLT).
I prayed for today’s scripture and this is what the Lord dropped into my spirit. Maybe we all need this reminder that God has high standards. Christianity is a come as you are religion, but we are expected to allow Christ and the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out.
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 (ESV).
#Bible #CarolSwainSpeaks
“A Call to Repentance
Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.”
Hosea 6:1-3 (NKJV).
Compliments of @patsylevang5 #Jesus #hope #peace #CarolSwainSpeaks
