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And He Himself gave some to be....evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ...
- Ephesians 4:11-12

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Location: The Hill Country of Texas

Pastor - Providence Reformed Baptist Church
Director - TIME in the Word Ministries

Sunday, November 06, 2005

The Good Shepherd - John 10:11-15

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional

The Good Shepherd
Introduction for the Week


Jesus moves on in the tenth chapter of John’s gospel to explain that He is the Good Shepherd. He is good. He is “my shepherd.” And He is THE GOOD SHEPHERD. So what does that mean for us here and now, as we, His sheep, face the trials and tribulations of every day life? It means, as we will learn this week, that He is not just the good shepherd, but He has given His life for His sheep! “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” He has shown us His incredible love, not by simply shepherding us and taking care of us, meeting our needs and comforting us when we need it, but He has proved Himself the best of shepherds by loving us with a supreme love. This unconditional love has proved itself in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

Jesus in this discussion also takes the time to tell us about His ministers – and those who falsely claim to be His ministers! Who is minding the flock of God? Who are they really serving? How can we know if a minister is a man of God or not?

And finally this week we will learn what it means that we are known by Him! He knows us and we know Him. Do we live like it? Our Christian life is a picture in many ways of the relationship between God and His People - just as our own lives, marriages, families, and churches picture the relationship of God to Christ and of Christ to us. Over and over through the Bible God gives us pictures of His love. Read the prophets, especially Hosea and look for the covenant love that God has for His people, the sheep of His pasture!

As we learn about the good shepherd, I am including a devotional written from John 10:11-15 this week. I have given a format for family worship which includes a verse for the day, study of the Puritan Catechism, time in the Word, devotional thoughts, recommended Scriptures for further study and meditation, and recommended songs to sing to God’s glory.

(The hymns are taken from our church hymnal, "The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration". Note for Church Members: If you do not have this hymnal at home, you are encouraged to take one home from church for use during the week. These hymns appear in most hymnals available today and the words are also listed in the links provided for musical accompaniment at the Cyber Hymnal.)


BONUS: Pilgrim's Progress: Delectable Mountains Shepherds.
Take the next 10 minutes and listen to this dramatization from Pilgrim's Progess by John Bunyan. This is a section about the Shepherds on the Delectable Mountains, based on John 10:11.

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