John 10: 1-10
Jesus said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers." Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."
Dawg's thought:
When God gave us the Ten Commandments, which was the first?
"I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods before me."
In today's society, we carve more and more idols for ourselves, and we wonder why we're never content with our lives.
We know that Jesus is the gate, but our hearts still search because we are fallen. We continue to follow the robbers and the thieves because our hearts are not pure. The pure of heart will see God, and none of us has a pure heart. Our hearts are still hardened by our pride and our fears. Our hearts still hold onto past hurts and current desires to be "great." Indeed, we are all called to be great, and the only way to greatness is through The Gate.
Take some time today to ponder what idols you have carved in your hearts. What desires do you put before God's will? What fears seem greater than God in your heart? What motivates you?
May God grant you understanding this day. Take care and God Bless.
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