-June 24, 2022-
Good morning, happy Friday,
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may life, and have it more abundantly.” I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
(John 10:10-11).
What a contrast between the devil, who seeks our destruction, and Christ our good shepherd who seeks our ultimate good and blessing. Before we were saved the devil was in control of our lives, and we were in bondage to our sins. We survived but we didn’t thrive. He kept us busy accumulating the things of the world with no joy. On the other hand, Christ came to deliver us from our sins and give us life eternal and abundant. The life in Jesus Christ is the best life for us both now and for all eternity.
We are His sheep, and He is our Good Shepherd, Great Shepherd, and Chief Shepherd. He leads us, feeds us, and He cares for us. David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). The life we have in Him is rich, fulfilling, satisfying, joyful, and peaceful. There is no better life. The word abundant is defined as, “Existing or available in large quantities; plentiful; having plenty of.” Someone wrote, “The word abundant in the New Testament means, “exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate.” He gives not only a good quantity of life, but a good quality of life as well.
Having and living the abundant life doesn’t mean we won’t have pain, disappointment, trial, suffering, or sorrow. In fact, those who desire to follow Christ must bear His cross, walk the way of righteousness, follow Him, and be persecuted. There is also a difference between having the abundant life and living it out in our lives on a daily lives. This is why we as believers should rejoice and give thanks to the Lord always. We sometimes blame the Lord for messes we get ourselves into. This was true of both Jacob and Naomi.
When Pharaoh asked Jacob how old he was, he answered, “The days of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage” (Genesis 47:9). Naomi, when she returned to Israel, told the people in Ruth 1:20, “Do not call me Naomi (means pleasant) but call me Mara, (which means bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” Jacob was a supplanter and schemer, and Naomi left Israel with her husband and two sons to go outside God’s will to the foreign land of Moab. Her husband and both sons died there. Neither Jacob nor Naomi lived an abundant life until they went back to where they belonged, got right with God, and were subsequently blessed abundantly.
Conversely, David and Paul both lived an abundant life of joy in a close relationship with the Lord. Each had their share of trials and difficulties, but they were thankful, praised God, and trusted in Him for everything. Neither blamed the Lord, others, or their circumstances when hard times came. So often, it is all about our attitude. We must choose to rejoice in the Lord and live above our circumstances. We have look beyond our circumstances to Christ our Shepherd.
May we thank the Lord for the abundant life we have in Jesus and choose to live it out daily. The song writer said, “I can smile as I walk along life’s road, I can smile if I carry a heavy load; I can smile because I walk with Jesus.” Let’s live the abundant life with joy. Stay safe and healthy.
In the care of Jesus our shepherd,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 