Pause
The Christian life can feel pretty isolating at times. Perhaps your one of the only or the few Christians in your workplace. Maybe you’re the only Christian in your family and it’s caused a lot of tension. How can we know and enjoy the comfort and presence of God in these moments?
Passage
God knows we need to be led, encouraged and kept secure in him. And that is why we have Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
John 10:1-9
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
How do we stay secure? We listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd, we are led by him (v.3), kept safe from enemies seeking to lead us away from God (v.5), and brought to places where we grow and thrive (v.9). Notice, Jesus doesn’t keep his sheep locked away safe in the sheep pen all the time. He leads them in and out. When we gather as a church or in homegroups, it is precious time to be encouraged and to hear the voice of our shepherd. But we also go ‘out’ into the world, but the same shepherd is leading us, and we can still hear his voice. His will, is for us to join him in his mission to call more sheep to join his flock!
Pray
For each other: our time together when we gather, coming ‘in’ to the sheep pen, and for one another when we’re ‘out’ in the world.
Project140: Building warrant to be completed, for external funding applications to be accepted, appointment of a project team/contactors.
Apprentice: Pray for the applications for the female apprentice role, the deadline is end of next week. Ask that God would bring the right person for the growth of his kingdom.
