Jesus Sacrifices for The Flock

God Loves Us
God's Caring, Saving, and Upholding Love

God as Our Shepherd

John 10:11-18 The Message 

11-13 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He’s only in it for the money. The sheep don’t matter to him.
14-18 “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father.”

For Reflection

John quotes Christ, "I am the Good Shepherd." If we are to be saved from our human folly, we, the followers of Jesus, must sacrifice ourselves as Christ has sacrificed.  In doing so we deny self-interest, forsake commonplace rational for God-centered living,

Pray

that you will take up the cross of Christ and identify with His rejection, shame suffering, and death.  Pray that you will deny yourself and in the manner of Christ give yourself wholly to God.