Daily Devotional

April 18th, 2023
by Pastor Greg Warmerdam

The Good Shepherd & the Abundant Life!

"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly."
John 10:9-10 (NASB)

I started my day early. I had an appointment at Kaiser Hospital. While it was only for a blood test, the hospital world is always a little foreboding! It seems a negative. But the truth is, the blood test is designed to do me good. The attitude with which I faced my first encounter out of my house was my choice. I can give way to whatever natural reactions occur in me, or I can choose to be positive, hopeful, and cheerful.

The outcome was positive. I got called up to register almost immediately, quickly followed by being directed to station three for the draw. I chose to have a pleasant conversation with the nurse. And the truth be told, the prick of the needle on my arm was painless! But it always seems that the whole event will be a time of at least mild suffering, or that it could even become a disaster!

It is good for us to cultivate the positive, to employ faith to that end. Jesus, our Savior, said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10.

As we believe Jesus’ declarations in John 10, there is much to encourage us on any day we face! So often I have heard believers lament that they cannot seem to hear God, or know what to do! The truth is, hearing Him is activated by faith. The righteous shall live by faith (Heb. 10:30). The power to move in and with Jesus depends on our believing His words. In this abundant life passage, Jesus says in verse 3 three powerful things about Himself as the Good Shepherd, and about us as His sheep.

1. My sheep hear My voice (3). It is a declaration. A truth to be accepted. If you are one of His sheep, you hear His voice!

2. He calls His own sheep by name (3). So, we know that he has “speech” directed to us specifically, not just to the crowd. Jesus has a special and unique union with you! A name. A way. A voice!

3. He leads His own sheep out, and goes ahead of them (3). I can have confidence, by faith, that Jesus is always ahead of me as I head out for the day in His name. No sense wondering if He is there, or where He is! He is ahead of you. Press on in faith!

Verse 4 of John 10 adds some more depth to these truths.

4. My sheep follow Me because they know My voice (4). This is what His sheep do. As one of His, this is what you do. Believe.

5. My sheep will simply not follow a stranger (4). They will not follow a stranger because they do not know the voice of strangers! Do not spend a lot of time fretting about being able to tell the difference between all the voices calling to you. You will not follow strangers. You will not because you do not know their voices. But you know Jesus’ voice. Have faith.

As you walk with the Lord, there is one more world of encouragement I would like to call to your attention in this John 10 passage.

6. Jesus’ sheep go in and out and find pasture (9). Having been saved by faith in Him, this is Jesus’ provision for you! You will be able to go about life freely in Him. In the process, you will find pasture, that is, you will find the provision in the various realms in which you have need. The Father knows what you need (Matt. 6:32)

Today renew, or begin, the faith walk in the abundant life with Jesus. Inscribe these seven truth statements in your mind. Write them on your heart. Let them be on your tongue and in your prayers. Never again “hear” anything else! This is Jesus’ description for you, permanently!

I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.
My sheep hear my voice.
He calls His own sheep by name.
He leads His own sheep out and goes ahead of them.
The sheep follow Him.
A stranger they simply will not follow.
His sheep go in and out, and find pasture.

Be settled that you are His, once and for all! Then be settled that your relationship with Him is as described in John 10. Always.

I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me (14).

I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand (28).

For additional strengthening, read the following: John 10:1-30, Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34:11-16, 23-31.

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