Sheep – Me From the Inside Out

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Lent, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Be The Difference

Posted on March 7, 2024March 7, 2024 by

based on the LGG Study of Lent, A Season of Drawing Close to God / w3d4

The Journey (Scripture and Observation)

Scripture: Luke 15:1-10 / SOAP: verse 7

I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.
Luke 15:7

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear him.
Luke 15:1 NLT

Whew! What an opening line to a wonderful portion of Luke’s story. Jesus wasn’t having to go to the people, they were coming to Him and as Luke reveals here, even the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear Jesus. This didn’t settle well with the Pharisees and experts of the law though because it meant Jesus was welcoming them, agreeing not only to spend time talking to them but to eat with them – which was a sign of friendship. They complained and Jesus used the complaint as another teachable moment. He used two parables, stories/examples that were relevant to the day and helpful in making the point that He was needed by the ‘sinner’ more than the ‘righteous ones’. After all, He came to seek and save the lost, (Luke 19:10).

Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. ³²I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
Luke 5:31-32 NLT

Jesus’ response to the complaint made by the Pharisees came in the form of parables. The first parable was about a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep who had foolishly strayed off the path. The second story was about a woman who searched desperately for one coin that was lost when she still had the other nine – the point Jesus was making was that His greater concern was for those who needed Him, whether they had foolishly strayed off the path or didn’t even realize they were lost. The end result is that both the sheep and the coin were looked for and when found there was great rejoicing.

Living the Journey

Just as Jesus left the ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep and just as the woman shown a light into the dark room to find the missing coin we should likewise give careful attention to the lost and let our light shine into the darkness around us. When we live and love like Jesus we will be the difference He calls us to be and the world around us will be changed.

Even if there is only one who is lost, we are to seek them out – we are to be the light that helps them find their way; and we are to rejoice over them when they are found.
Me – from the Inside-out 🦋

Prayer for the Journey

Father, please help my attitude to be like Jesus’ attitude and not that of the Pharisees. Let me not only see the lost around me but seek them out and respond to them with Jesus’ loving concern and compassion. Let me not be caught up with the complaints of those around me or ever consider myself better than those who are lost or have wandered away. Help me to remember, “but by Your grace there I would be also.” – In Jesus’ Name I pray – Amen!

The More We Know

The Parables Explained

Why Jesus Feasted With a Group of Cultural Outcasts

Righteous versus sinners

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/

Bible study, Christmas, From the Insideout, God is good, Know These Truths, Quiet Time

The Second Day of Christmas

Posted on December 27, 2023December 30, 2023 by

Origianally posted December 27, 2020

Day 2: Scripture – John 10:9; Name of Jesus – The Door; Ornament – Door

On this second day of Christmas, I remember not just the baby in the manger – but the “Door” that He came to be.

Yes, I am the door. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.
John 10:9

He came to be a door or gateway to God. When we choose to believe in Him we are given access to His safe pasture. We are invited into His Presence to live under the protection of the Great Shepherd. We feed on His Word and learn to know His voice and live in obedience to Him. In His presence there is peace and hope and strength, there is love and life everlasting. Those who choose not to enter are sheep without a shepherd, living in darkness and jeopardy, without hope.

Jesus says , “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”
John 14:6

Advent, Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Promised Messiah

Knowing The Shepherd

Posted on December 10, 2023December 11, 2023 by

Scripture: Psalm 23; Luke 15:3-7 / John 10:11

Throughout Scripture we find examples and lessons about or from the Shepherd. One of my favorites and I would dare say – one of the most familiar ‘shepherd reference’ is Psalm 23, in the Old Testament. The Psalm is written by David, a shepherd himself, who writes a beautiful and inviting description of God as His Shepherd. He describes Him as one who protected, led, and cared for him, and who encouraged, renewed, and comforted him. David’s words make it clear that God was the one in whom David placed his hope and confidence.

Like David, we too have a Shepherd, in whom we can place our hope and confidence, knowing that He will not only leave the majority of His sheep to look for even one that is lost, but that He laid down His life for the sheep. He is tender and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He is a protector and comforter and intercedes on behalf of His sheep to the Father. He leads us by example and is one day coming back for all who belong to Him. You can trust Him and turn to Him when you feel lost or when you you need forgiveness. Remember He is your redeemer, your comforter, encourager, and friend. He is Your intercessor between God and a true love of your soul.

An Invitation –

Is Jesus your Shepherd? – Check out these TRUTHS and choose Jesus today

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/

Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Quiet Time

Peace With The Shepherd

Posted on April 28, 2023April 28, 2023 by

Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
Isaiah 40:10-11

I love knowing that God is an all-wise God, and that He is powerful and rules over all. However, there is something even more comforting in knowing Him as the great Shepherd who knows His sheep and wants them, even trains them to know Him. Isaiah’s words are particularly encouraging, as he points out that God – the Shepherd – provides, protects, comforts, and leads.

He feeds His sheep, wanting them to be healthy, He nurtures them with what He knows they need,
He carries His lambs, or as one commentary explains – those who are younger in their faith. He will hold them close to His heart, protecting them from danger and comforting them when they are afraid or unsure.
and “He gently leads the mother sheep with their young.”
- I read somewhere that a shepherd will sometimes carry the young lambs because they can’t keep up, they tire quickly, or they become afraid; but it’s the last part of this verse – “He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young”, that had me most curious. What I found was this beautiful characterization of our God –

[…”gently lead the mother sheep with their young”] means the Shepherd is not only aware of the mother’s concern for her babies, and her torn desire between keeping up with the herd, and keeping up with a baby that needs time, but that He is also sensitive to it and willingly takes action to help her with her concerns. His response is Not, “Oh come on you stupid old sheep!” He is not blind, deaf, nor callous to her needs, her priorities, to what concerns her. He understands, and responds supportively, with patience! … When a mamma sheep knows the shepherd has her baby, she will follow the shepherd to keep up with baby. That He has her baby is her primary motivation for following Him at this time, but He doesn’t mind; she is still following. They, sheep and Shepherd, still have a relationship. She is still learning about Him as her Shepherd, even while her eyes and time are more focused on her lamb. The challenge, for both the sheep and human Christian parents, is to not view trust in the Shepherd, and responsibilities as parents, as two separate, compartmentalized things. Our Shepherd wants to support and nurture us while we carry those responsibilities; not demand more from us on top of it all.

https://asheeplikefaith.com/2015/08/14/isaiah-4011, Sheep and Shepherds in Scripture

Response to God’s Word

Father, thank you for who You are – our tender, patient, loving, and gentle Shepherd. Thank You for all the times You have carried us or comforted us when we have been weak or fearful. Thank you for your constant provision and patient guidance. We would be lost without You. We would live in fear and trembling – instead we are safe and secure in Your care.

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 100:3

Bible study, From the Insideout, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Gospel

The One

Posted on April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by

Today’s Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-16:31; SOAP / Luke 15:4-7

“Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go look for the one that is lost until he finds it?⁵Then when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶Returning home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.
Luke 15:4-7 NET

Ouch!

I don’t know about you but when I read today’s verses, especially the focus passage, there was much conviction and it left me realizing how very important this question is for Jesus’ followers.

“Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go look for the one that is lost until he finds it?
Luke 15:4

We have been commissioned by Jesus to go and make disciples – to share Jesus and His Gospel message with the world – continuing His mission to “seek and save the lost”. To be clear we can not save the lost, only Christ can do that. However, we can till the ground, plant the seed, and water it so that it can take root and grow. We can study to know His word so that we are ready with and an answer for the hope that is within us, ready and useable to lead the lost to Jesus. We can pray boldly and wait expectantly, to rejoice with every lost person who repents.

Jesus and all of heaven rejoice over every lost person who repents. As His followers, we know what it was like to be lost, and we know the true joy of being found. May we continue to follow Him, especially as we seek the lost. Only Jesus can save, but we can rejoice over every sinner who is found.
LGG Team Member / w5d2 journal devo, P168

Response to God’s Word

Father, how very convicted I am after reading this passage and realizing how very little I actually look for one that is lost. I pray for those who are but I fear I’m too often preoccupied to leave the “99”. Forgive me and help me to be more observant and purposefully diligent to seek the lost and share with them Your Son and the salvation He came to bring. – Amen, in and for the name of Jesus –

Moved to Worship

Bible study, From the Insideout, God is good, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Prayer for the Lost Sheep –

Posted on September 18, 2022September 18, 2022 by

Father, You are good. You are Holy, righteous, and true – and You are my God! Your WORD is eternal, bringing life and health and peace to all who hear and believe. For those who have never heard, I pray they will hear and believe even today! For those who have heard BUT NEVER BELIEVED, I pray You will melt their hearts of stone – that they might believe and be saved. For those without a messenger will You open their eyes to Your creation – for Your Word makes clear that everything You’ve made displays Your invisible qualities – Your eternal power and divine nature – so that NO ONE has an excuse for not knowing You. Raise up messengers to go in Jesus’ Name and translators to translate in Word or print and supporters who will send and pray. All of this to Your eternal glory and the salvation of the lost. – … Father, for those who have both heard and believed but have turned away to the right or to the left and find themselves wandering in a wilderness, stuck in a pit, swallowed up by the world’s ways, or bound again by a yoke of slavery – will you please open the eyes and ears of their hearts Lord – to hear You, the One who is their faithful Shepherd, who has left the 99 to find them. Help them to reach out for Your rod and staff and to walk free of their chains and all that binds them and keeps them from You. – Again, all of this for Your eternal glory and the redemption of Your people. Amen in Jesus’ Name and Power!

Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Posted on March 31, 2022March 31, 2022 by

Safe and Secure In His Hands

Cornered and questioned

Once again Jesus is questioned by the Jewish leaders, this time in Solomon’s Portico of the temple area. John tells us he was “surrounded” by them, likely making it harder for Him to escape this time, and according to verse 31 they were primed and ready to stone Him. They demanded that He tell them whether or not He was really the Christ, accusing Him of keeping them in suspense. If you’ve been reading along with us our journey through John you know that this is far from the truth. Jesus has told them exactly who He is, which is exactly how He responded. “I told you and you do not believe. The deeds I do in my Father’s name testify about me. But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep.” Sheep always recognize the voice of their shepherd and since the Jewish leaders are refusing to believe Jesus, the Good Shepherd, it is clear they do not belong to Him.

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1;18

Safe and Secure

Jesus makes it clear to the Jewish leaders that the ones who listen to His voice and follow Him, those are His sheep. They know who He is and they trust Him. Because they belong to Him He gives them eternal life, not only allowing them to live forever but they will live forever as His – they are safe and secure from the predators who would seek to take them away from Him.

Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3

Reflection We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. In ancient times, being a sheep in a pasture meant that you belonged to a family.   Unknown Source

Prayer

Father, thank you for receiving me through Christ Your Son. He knows me by name. I am a sheep in His pasture, a follower of His. His voice is in my ear and I seek to follow where He leads. Help me to not falter – help me to always hear His voice and may Your Word drown out all the other voices that vie for my attention! Thank you for the gift of eternal life through Him and for the promise that I am safe in His care – I will not perish or be snatched away! With hope in Jesus’ name – AMEN!

Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Posted on March 29, 2022March 29, 2022 by

An Abundant Life with the Good Shepherd

Recommended Reading: John 10:1-21 and SOAP: John 10:9-11

⁹Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. ¹⁰The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
John 10:9-11

From lurking danger to safe pasture

Jesus uses two more “I AM” statements in this passage to teach the people who He is. We’ve become quite used to the conversational style lessons of Jesus that John presents in His Gospel, however, today’s passage appears to be more of a one-sided, lecture style lesson – and boy is it a doozy! It’s packed with sheep, a shepherd, and a gate, there are thieves, robbers, a wolf and danger lurking just outside the gate, but there is also safe pasture and the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.

The Gate and the good shepherd

To understand verses 9-11 you will really need to read what comes before it as Jesus begins in verse 1 developing the scene and setting His listeners up to understand His message. The hope is that when He transitions to the analogy of Him being both the gate (or the door, as it says in some translations) and the good shepherd they will be able to acknowledge and even fully embrace the person that is standing before them as the One whom God sent to save them. You see, the people who were listening would have not only understood His references to the sheep pen, the shepherd, the sheep, and the dangers – but even better, when He began to say that He was the gate/door and He was the good Shepherd they would have started realizing the deeper meaning of what – or should I say who He was claiming to be. He knew that many of them would remember the prophecy from long ago about the Shepherd that God would send to tend His flock, Micah 5:4. He wanted them to know that just like the gate of the sheep pen was the only way in and out for the sheep – He was ‘the only way’ to God for the people. He also wanted them to know Him as ‘the Good Shepherd’ who will not only keep them safe but one day lay down His life for them.

The Warning and the hope

Within the analogy came a warning – one of danger from the predators whose goal was “to steal and kill and destroy” the sheep. He called these predators thieves and robbers, and He talked of strangers and wolves, warning them that unless they were under the care of the true Shepherd and knew the difference between the stranger and the Good Shepherd they would be attacked and scattered like sheep by a wolf. There wasn’t just a warning though, we also find a promise and hope . Jesus calls Himself the gate and promised His listeners that if they entered through Him they would be saved. So you see, while the thief came to steal, kill, and destroy. The Good Shepherd came to give them the hope of abundant life, the hope of knowing and being known by Him. The hope that as the Good Shepherd He would one day lay down His life for them.

What did Jesus mean by "abundant life'?  Gotquestions.org answers the question like this: "Abundant life is eternal life, a life that begins the moment we come to Christ and receive Him as Savior, and goes on throughout all eternity. The biblical definition of life — specifically eternal life — is provided by Jesus Himself: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). This definition makes no mention of length of days, health, prosperity, family, or occupation. As a matter of fact, the only thing it does mention is knowledge of God, which is the key to a truly abundant life. (For the full meaning of 'abundant life in Christ' visit https://www.gotquestions.org/abundant-life.html)

The Sheep

I’m sure you picked up on it by now – the sheep – they are us – the believers, those who have chosen to follow Christ. We must not miss what He says about us in this analogy. We know His voice … we don’t recognize or listen to the stranger’s voice … instead we run away from the stranger … the Good Shepherd calls us by name … He knows us and we know Him … we follow Him … we are safe … and He came to give us an abundant life. I believe when we seek to apply the Scriptures this sometimes calls for introspection, in this case asking ourselves does Christ’s description of the sheep sound like me? If not, why not and what can I do to align myself with His description?

The Prayer

Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be our door to You and for giving us such a Good Shepherd who loves us and protects us from the thieves and robbers. Jesus, thank You for being such a Good Shepherd, for loving Your sheep, for calling us by name, for spending time with us so we know Your voice. Thank You for teaching us and going before us, and for keeping us safe. Thank You for laying down Your life for us and for giving us an abundant life of joy and peace and hope of our security for eternity. – In Your Name I pray – Amen!

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