Devotional Thoughts

I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. – Acts 26:9 Have you ever sinned on purpose? I mean, have you decided to do something you know is wrong? Probably so. Even if you did not know the right or wrong of a thing, you did not exhaust your options of learning right from wrong. None of us have been so righteous. We have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Once you admit this basic fact, you can realize the magnificence of Jesus Christ the Righteous. He affected salvation for people who strained against rules and did things contrary to the will of God and their own self interest. The Apostle Paul said of himself that he truly thought that he “ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9). So convinced of his own self-righteousness, the Apostle believe he was right in persecuting the Church to stamp out any Christian influences, and he is not alone.  We also sin willingly

John 10:27     "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" Jesus has declared Himself to be the Good Shepherd and knows His sheep. Aren't you thankful the Lord of glory knows you? He knows you by name. He knows your thoughts, your words, your actions. He knows the deepest things concerning you and me, and still He loves me. What a glorious thought that is to me! "My sheep hear my voice."  It brings sorrow to my heart to know there are those who confess a faith in the Lord Jesus; yet, they do not believe God has daily interactions with us. Apparently they believe Jesus saved us and then threw us into this cruel world to fend for ourselves.  Jesus said His sheep hear His voice. Does that not give us the understanding and assurance of interaction on a daily basis. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." I once read of two shepherds who met each other along the road as they were moving their flocks of sheep fro

John 10:10-11    "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  (11)  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." "The thief comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." "The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep."  We see the contrast between the two. One only wants to destroy us. The other, not only was willing to die, but indeed laid down His life for us. Which one will we seek to follow in our daily lives? It should be a "no-brainer" as to which one's influence we follow. But the truth of the matter is the thief is really good at his craft. He presents temptations before us with bright, crisp colors and sparkles all over.  It may look pretty, but it is full of poison.   The good news is though the thief comes to kill, he cannot do that. He cannot have our life. That was bought and paid for by th

John 10:9    "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Jesus spoke of the sheepfold in the previous verses. Usually the sheepfold was a place prepared by the shepherd for his flock wherein they could find safety and comfort in times of storms.  The shepherd would lead the flock down the path to the sheepfold and then would take them inside where protection was found. Jesus refers to us as being His sheep. He is the Good Shepherd. David, a shepherd himself, wrote of the Lord being His shepherd in the 23rd Psalm. He spoke of the "still waters, green pastures, and paths of righteousness" which fed his soul. You and I can identify with that analogy as we go from day to day. We find rest for our souls as we enjoy fellowship with the Shepherd of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ. In today's verses, Jesus reminds us that He is "the door", the entrance, into this place of comfort for our souls