The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

John 10:14–16 (Key verses)

14-15 I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me. And I am willing to die for them. 16 There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

Jesus was getting across to His audience (Jewish Leaders) that they were not the exclusive parties destined for the sheepfold – heaven. These leaders often looked on the Gentiles like they were ‘nobodies’, but praise be to God who loves us so much, He died for ALL men, regardless where they are from or from which side of the tracks they may come from. I wonder how it must sadden God ‘s heart when He looks at His children in worship today. Why is it that we have straight black churches, or white churches, or oriental churches, etc? I know that some of the issue is the language barrier, but I would really suggest that we reevaluate our reasoning. We can all work together; play together; depend on each other in times of need; take each other’s money when they enter our establishments, etc. Why is it again that we can’t worship together? OK, I remember, some are more charismatic than others, and the two shall never meet. No, that’s not it, because we never tell others how to act when they come into our business places, or into our educational classrooms. I’m afraid that God’s ‘holy’ people still carry the sin of prejudice around with us and it is considered OK by the masses, under certain circumstances. Why is it again that God is not blessing us? Could it be that we have really not ‘humbled’ ourselves; prayed and turned from our ‘wicked’ ways? When we exclude folk from worshipping with us, quite often we are also excluding them from hearing the gospel and possibly finding their way to the Master. Do we really want that sin on our backs?

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for times that I may have excluded others, possibly because they were different to me in one form or the other. Please get my attention each time this may occur and sober my thoughts to remember that You died for us ALL. You accepted us just as we were, and because this was in such contrast to the perfect model that You created, we too ought to be forgiving, and accepting of those that we have difficulty identifying with. Please eradicate the sin of prejudice, and promote a right spirit with us, so that we may be more like You in every way through every day. Please use this new spirit to work in the hearts of those that we come into contact with so that they may know the sweetness of the Savior who loves them unconditionally. Thank You for loving me and dying for me on Calvary.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
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