Free 2!

Free 2!

I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His [own] life for the sheep. JOHN 10:11 AMP

Jesus introduces himself to the world as the good shepherd; not one out of many, but the only good Shepherd. You do not get to pick and choose Him out of many viable options; He's the only viable option, the One who guarantees life eternal. He has left no one in doubt as to his identity and purpose; so when you come to Him, you know what you are getting: guidance, protection, provision, discipline, feeding, nourishment and all the things that a good shepherd does for his sheep.

Jesus called a shepherd means that I am his sheep: helpless, hopeless and lost without Him. Have you ever seen a sheep that made it home alive by rejecting the protection and guidance of a good shepherd? This good shepherd here already showed the perfect example: giving up His life for the sake of his sheep. Our own kind of sheep wasn't the silent and docile type; we were unruly and stubborn; yet He loved us enough to give his life for us. We didn't deserve it, but He did it anyway to show that I wasn't really about what we deserved, but as an expression of his amazing love.

And now, the gift is given; paradise lost and gained again; redemption sealed and eternal life guaranteed. Actually, nothing guaranteed unless and until I choose to accept the gift given. One day soon, all of life will cease, and the only decision that will matter is whether I chose to accept the gift of life made in and through Christ. His time of favour is here.