Through the Bible - Deuteronomy 26-28, Mark 15:21-16:20
Good morning
There is a German term that separates existence from life -"dasean ohne leben"- literally it means existence without life. How many of us feel, or have felt at times,as if we are merely existing, going through the motions, going through pretty much the same routine day after day with no end in sight? At times we must think that there is more to this life, and there is.
For today's verse we'll jump ahead to John chapter 10 where the apostle speaks of the Good Shepherd.
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
NKJV
or from the NLT
NKJV
or from the NLT
John 10:10-11
10 The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
10 The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
From the beginning, the thief, Satan, has been out to destroy us, often deceiving us the the pursuit of, collection, and hoarding of things that he tells us will bring satisfaction. Apart from Christ, these "things" soon fade and lose their luster, and hopefully we'll realize that this rat race, well, it's all a chasing of the wind.
Barnes Notes commentary states, "Literally, that they may have abundance, or that which abounds. The word denotes that which is not absolutely essential to life, but which is superadded to make life happy. They shall not merely have life-simple, bare existence-but they shall have all those superadded things which are needful to make that life eminently blessed and happy. It would be vast mercy to keep men merely from annihilation or hell; but Jesus will give them eternal joy, peace, the society of the blessed, and all those exalted means of felicity which are prepared for them in the world of glory."
What the NKJV calls abundantly, the NLT translates as a satisfying life. It speaks of abundance, but not of "stuff", but of joy, peace, fellowship, and love. When will we ever learn that there is more to this life?
As I write this two songs come to mind "A Chasing of the Wind" by Steve Green and "More to this Life" by Steven Curtis Chapman.
More to this Life
Today I watched in silence as people passed me by,
And I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes;
But they all looked at me as if to say
Life just goes on.
The old familiar story told in different ways,
Make the most of your own journey from the cradle to the grave;
Dream your dreams tomorrow because today
Life must go on.
[Chorus:]
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
Tonight he lies in silence staring into space,
And looks for ways to make tomorrow better than today,
But in the morning light it looks the same;
Life just goes on.
He takes care of his family, he takes care of his work,
And every Sunday morning he takes his place at the church;
And somehow he still feels a need to search,
But life just goes on.
[Chorus]
So where do we start to find every part
Of what makes this life complete;
If we turn our eyes to Jesus we'll find
Life's true beginning is there at the cross where He died.
He died to bring us...
And I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes;
But they all looked at me as if to say
Life just goes on.
The old familiar story told in different ways,
Make the most of your own journey from the cradle to the grave;
Dream your dreams tomorrow because today
Life must go on.
[Chorus:]
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
Tonight he lies in silence staring into space,
And looks for ways to make tomorrow better than today,
But in the morning light it looks the same;
Life just goes on.
He takes care of his family, he takes care of his work,
And every Sunday morning he takes his place at the church;
And somehow he still feels a need to search,
But life just goes on.
[Chorus]
So where do we start to find every part
Of what makes this life complete;
If we turn our eyes to Jesus we'll find
Life's true beginning is there at the cross where He died.
He died to bring us...
More to this life.
In Christ,
Mike
John 10:1-19
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
10 "I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice."
6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to him and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he's working only for the money and doesn't really care about the sheep.
14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
17 "The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded." NLT.
No comments:
Post a Comment