GoodShepherd | Kristi's Morning Devotional

June 19, 2024June 19, 2024

Greener Pastures

Living in rural areas it has been my privilege to see bands of sheep grazing in the fields. Sheep have healthy appetites and so they must be moved to new pastures on a regular basis.

“^2-3But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice…⁹I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture. ¹⁰A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep.” John 10:2-11 CEV

It’s a foolish sheep that would want to stay in a pasture once the grass has been grazed off. It’s a good shepherd who knows when it’s time to move to greener pastures. We had a good shepherd to follow.

“You are my hiding place! You protect me from trouble, and you put songs in my heart because you have saved me. ⁸You said to me, ‘I will point out the road that you should follow. I will be your teacher and watch over you.‘” Psalm 32:7-8 CEV

When we follow Christ, we can trust His leading. This morning, my Bible reading took me to the book of Daniel where I saw something in a new light.

“² The Lord let Nebuchadnezzar capture Jehoiakim…One day the king ordered Ashpenaz, his highest palace official, to choose some young men from the royal family of Judah and from other leading Jewish families. ⁴The king said, ‘They must be healthy, handsome, smart, wise, educated, and fit to serve in the royal palace. Teach them how to speak and write our language ⁵and give them the same food and wine that I am served. Train them for three years, and then they can become court officials.’

⁸Daniel made up his mind to eat and drink only what God had approved for his people to eat. And he asked the king’s chief official for permission not to eat the food and wine served in the royal palace…¹⁷God made the four young men smart and wise. They read a lot of books and became well educated. Daniel could also tell the meaning of dreams and visions.¹⁸At the end of the three-year period set by King Nebuchadnezzar, his chief palace official brought all the young men to him.¹⁹The king interviewed them and discovered that none of the others were as outstanding as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they were given positions in the royal court.” Daniel 1 CEV

Most of us would not think that being taken into captivity was a leading to greener pastures but for Daniel and his friends it was. God elevated them to a place of authority and influence. He gave them favor and they were respected for their wisdom.

Further reading of the book of Daniel reveals multiple times that Daniel’s dependence on God opened the door for the Lord to do miracles and mighty works, prompting the kings he served to declare God’s might and power.

“King Darius then sent this message to all people of every nation and race in the world: ‘Greetings to all of you! ²⁶I command everyone in my kingdom to worship and honor the God of Daniel. He is the living God, the one who lives forever. His power and his kingdom
will never end. ²⁷He rescues people and sets them free by working great miracles.” Daniel 6:25-27 CEV

Even when we feel we have been thrown to the lions, if we are trusting God we will see we are in the greener pastures that He has prepared for us. Our focus should always be on following the Good Shepherd; He leads us to an abundant life.

August 28, 2023August 28, 2023

The Lost Sheep

My Bible reading this morning took me to a chapter and verse, Isaiah 53:6, that I had memorized as a young girl. We are like sheep who have gone astray and gotten lost. We needed to be rescued.

This chapter tells us that Jesus wasn’t an attractive man. It also tells us that the abuse He took at His trial and crucifixion were considered by most to be punishment from God but in reality, it was the pain that He was willing to suffer for our rescue.

“…²He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground. He has no beautiful body and when we see Him there is no beauty that we should desire Him. ³He was hated and men would have nothing to do with Him, a man of sorrows and suffering, knowing sadness well. We hid, as it were, our faces from Him. He was hated, and we did not think well of Him.

⁴For sure He took on Himself our troubles and carried our sorrows. Yet we thought of Him as being punished and hurt by God, and made to suffer. ⁵But He was hurt for our wrong-doing. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so we would have peace. He was beaten so we would be healed. ⁶All of us like sheep have gone the wrong way. Each of us has turned to his own way. And the Lord has put on Him the sin of us all.

⁷Men made it very hard for Him and caused Him to suffer, yet He did not open His mouth. He was taken like a lamb to be put to death…⁸He was taken away as a prisoner and then judged. Who among the people of that day cared that His life was taken away from the earth? He was hurt because of the sin of the people who should have been punished. ⁹They gave Him a grave with the sinful, but with the rich at His death, for He had done no wrong, and there was nothing false in His mouth.

¹⁰But it was the will of the Lord to crush Him, causing Him to suffer. Because He gives His life as a gift on the altar for sin, He will see His children. Days will be added to His life, and the will of the Lord will do well in His hand. ¹¹He will see what the suffering of His soul brings, and will be pleased. By what He knows, the One Who is right and good, My Servant, will carry the punishment of many and He will carry their sins. ¹²So I will give Him a share among the great. He will divide the riches with the strong, because He gave up His life. They thought of Him as One Who broke the Law. Yet He Himself carried the sin of many, and prayed for the sinners.” Isaiah 53 NLV

This is what Jesus did for us! I hope you will read this chapter again, slowly, considering all that Jesus did for us because of His great love.

Jesus wasn’t punished by God. He took our punishment for sin. We were sheep who needed to be rescued. The price for our rescue was great. It cost the Good Shepherd His life!

If you ever wonder “do I matter”, consider this; you were a lost sheep worth dying for!

April 24, 2023April 24, 2023

Come, Sheep, Come

Yesterday Dave and I watched a YouTube video produced by a family in the southern U.S. They are homesteading some land. They are so excited about the opportunity they have to live such a simple life.

In the video, the wife was showing the animals they have, and she stopped at the sheep pen. The sheep were on the other side of the enclosure until she said “Come, sheep, come”. They lifted their heads and started moving in her direction. She repeated it once more and sheep came right to her.

They knew the voice of their shepherdess and they came. She didn’t holler to get their attention she just called for them in a normal tone. They knew her voice and came.

It was such a picture of how we should follow Jesus our good shepherd.

“The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. ⁵The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away.” John 10:3-5 CEV

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. ¹⁵ Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep.” John 10:14-15 CEV

The Good Shepherd who gives His life for the sheep.

As a good shepherd, He sees to it that we are well rested and fed. He protects us from evil. He searches for us when we go astray, and He carries us when we are weary. And when it was necessary, He gave His life to save us.

“You know the Lord is God! He created us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep in his pasture.” Psalm 100:3 CEV

Sheep are natural followers. In the ranching community, cattle need to be herded. You’ve seen the cattle drives in the movies; it takes a number of good cowboys to move a herd. Sheep follow.

I pray that we follow the Shepherd. Through His word we hear His voice, by the inner prompting of the Spirit we know the right way to go.

“Father, I make the decision to listen to the Shepherd’s voice and I will follow Him to green pastures beside still waters and He will restore my soul. Amen.”

December 6, 2022December 6, 2022

Christmas Traditions

Some of you who have been reading my blog for the last few years know that I have a couple of Christmas traditions that will always be a part of my life.

There are the books that sit on my coffee table, the nativity that decorates my living room and the candy canes that sit in a basket at the door and make their way into my purse on each of my outings.

Even though we are in the RV and space is limited the nativity still graces the mantel, the books (we’ll talk about some of those in the next few days) are on the small table in the living room and I keep candy canes in my purse.

All three items tie together and are a part of my Christmas traditions.

Years ago, I mean many years ago, I was introduced to a book, “The Legend of the Candy Cane”. I was on staff at a Calvary Chapel in Encinitas CA when I found it on the shelves of their bookstore. I bought it and the coffee mug that was a part of the set.

Handing out Candy Canes with this little message is a great way to share Jesus at Christmas.

The story is of a candy maker who befriends a little girl while she helps him unpack the merchandise for his new stop. There are gum drops, licorice sticks, butterscotch drops, lemons drops and then there was a new candy she had never seen.

It was a red and white crook, like the kind a shepherd would use. The candy maker told her the crook was for the “Good Shepherd” who came to take care of us all. The white represented the sinless life of Jesus and the red for was the blood He shed to save us. When turned upside down, the crook became a J – the first letter in the shepherd’s name, Jesus.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15 Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. ” John 10:14-15 CEV

Christmas is all about sharing the love that Jesus has for us. Giving out candy canes with this little message is just one way I do that.

“I have not turned away from Your Law, for You Yourself have taught me. ¹⁰³How sweet is Your Word to my taste! It is sweeter than honey to my mouth! ” Psalm 119:102-103 NLV

I hope each of us will be an ambassador of the sweet peace of God’s love this season.

June 11, 2021June 11, 2021

Right or Left?

Have you ever been at a crossroads and wonder which path to take?

It could be a physical spot on a roadway – right, left, or straight head but more than likely that crossroad involves a decision about career path, relationships, monetary commitments and even health choices.

How do we know which choice is right?

It’s important to get good advice but ultimately, at least for me, it comes down to following that inner voice, sense of right/wrong, the peace that I feel in my heart.

Jesus used an analogy with his disciples that they all understood. He talked to them of the way sheep follow a shepherd. They were familiar with seeing bands of sheep out on the hillsides with their shepherd. Jesus said I am the good Shepherd, and my sheep hear my voice and follow me.

“I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep…I am the shepherd who cares for the sheep. I know my sheep just as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me just as I know the Father. I give my life for these sheep…My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:11,14,15,27 ERV

If we are listening, we will hear our Shepherd’s voice and follow the path He takes us on. Sometimes we start out following the Shepherd and then we get off the path and head out on our own. The attitude of “I can take it from here, thanks for getting me started” can be disastrous.

When that happens, it is encouraging to know that the Shepherd will come looking for lost sheep. He knows the dangers that can present themselves. He is faithful to rescue us.

“Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but one of them gets lost. What will you do? You will leave the other 99 sheep there in the field and go out and look for the lost sheep. You will continue to search for it until you find it. ⁵And when you find it, you will be very happy. You will carry it ⁶home, go to your friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’” Luke 15:4-6 ERV

In Jesus’ own words He said he is the “good” shepherd. Some shepherds had been known to leave the sheep in times of peril. Some didn’t properly care for those who had been attacked or injured.

But not the Good Shepherd. He is willing to lay down His life for his sheep. He takes His sheep to green pastures beside still water where they can be fed, watered, and well rested.

When He sees danger coming, He protects the sheep and keeps their enemies for attacking. He leads them through the valley of the shadow of death with no fear. He is their comfort.

Which path to take? Follow the Shepherd, He will never lead us astray.

Have a decision to make? At the crossroads?

Pray about it. Don’t be in a hurry. Listen for the Shepherd’s voice and then follow Him!