Quick Study "The Good Shepherd"

Jesus is the good shepherd, we are His sheep. Notice that it doesn't say that Jesus is the bad shepherd or that Jesus is a shepherd who is only good sometimes. No it says that Jesus is the good shepherd. Those who are faithful, those who are obedient, those who have chosen to follow, are led by the good shepherd. For those of you who fall in this category (which I hope is all of you!!), we need to understand that the shepherd blesses us; the shepherd takes care of us; the shepherd protects us. He protects us from the thief, from the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:1-15). In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that it is the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. It is I (Jesus) who have come to give you life more abundantly. It is the good shepherd who has come to protect His flock. Jesus tells us in Matthew that the two new commandments are to love Him and love your neighbor as yourself. These commandments have come from the Father, and the Father can not go against His word. God loves those who have come into the family. God loves those who have not yet made that choice. You may ask, "How can God love non-sinners and sinners?" The answer is simple; God is love. All He does is in love. Love does not kill; love does not steal; love does not destroy. If we are to be like Jesus (Eph.5:1), we should love our neighbor as ourselves. We definitely should not be trying to kill them; steal from them; or destroy them. If you kill you take; if you steal you take; if you destroy you take. The Father sent His only Son to save this world. To give us back what the devil took. What I am going to say next is based on my beliefs, so you can do with it what you would like!!!! If God is the God of this world, and He is in complete control, why is there no LOVE!!!! If He was in control of this world, why would we need salvation? In the Lord's Prayer Jesus says , "Thy will be done here on earth as it is in Heaven." God's will on earth is the same as in Heaven. In Heaven their is no sickness, no disease, no lack, no poverty, no suffering, no tragedy, no devastating loss, no major disasters, etc. Mankind and their desire to sin have made the world the way it is today. Man has given satan the authority to operate on this earth. The devil has lost, and he knows it. That is why he is going to steal, kill, and destroy as many people as possible while he still has the chance. If we choose not to follow the Father, by walking and living in faithfulness and obedience, we will not be protected from the movement of evil here on earth. I am here to remind you that God wants us to live how Adam and Eve were to live. He wants us to do something that Adam and Eve could not do. He wants us to be the faithful and obedient servants that they weren't. God wants to love us and He wants to bless us. This is how I live my life and it works. In Psalm 91 we read about our divine protector. We read about the God of too much; the God who will wants to satisfy you with long life. The God who will protect you under His wings and when thousands begin to fall all around you, it shall not approach you. In closing, we follow a good God. A God who does not steal, kill, and destroy. A God who cannot act in evil or use evil against you (James 1:12-14). No, God is a good God; who has sent His son so that we could have life and have it abundantly, to the full, until it overflows. We follow the good shepherd, who will always watch out for His flock. I encourage you to take time and go through all the scriptures which I have touched on this morning. When I sat down this morning to write, the power of the Holy Spirit and His direction was so strong and He wanted me to remind you that He is good, all the time.

Scripture Reading John 10:10, 2 Cor. 4:1-15, Eph. 5:1, James 1:12-14

This study will be posted a day early as directed by the Father. Take today and tomorrow and focus on the goodness and the lovingkindness of our God. Praise God who sent His only Son so that we could have life!!!!!