Lessons from the Sheepfold

Daily Reading: John 10

I am the door...  I am the good shepherd...  I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10.9-15)

Devotional Thought: Ancient shepherds would herd their sheep into the sheepfold where they could keep track of them and protect them.  When all the sheep were inside the sheepfold, the shepherd himself would lay in front of the entrance to the sheepfold, serving as a door.  At one and the same time, he was the door and the shepherd.

Consider other lessons from John 10:

·       The gatekeeper: Ancient shepherds used a common sheepfold, taking turns as the gatekeeper who would ensure that only the shepherd of the sheep would gain entrance.  For us the gatekeeper is the truth of the Scripture. 

·       The stranger: The stranger to the sheep would be another shepherd whose flock was also in the sheepfold.  But “the sheep” wouldn’t follow him out because they did not know his voice.  This is why it is so important to know the Scriptures!  We must know “the voice” of our God!

·       Thieves and robbers: These are those who would sneak in over the wall and steal the life of the sheep – fear, temptation, doubt, carelessness, envy.  These things can steal our joy and vitality in Christ.

·       The wolf: This is Satan and his demons.  Satan desires to scatter the sheep where they will become vulnerable.  It is so important to stay close to other Christians and be vitally involved in a local church!

·       The hired hand: Are you serving only as a hired hand, or do you have the heart of Jesus?  All of us can ask the same question.  Are we running away from work in the church, or are we laying down our lives for the flock of God?

Prayer: Jesus, you are the door to abundant life, eternal life.  I thank you that I have passed through that door from death to life and that even now, by believing in your name, I am a sheep of the Good Shepherd.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 37.7-15

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him,

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;

15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken