Intimacy With Jesus
“The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” John 10:10 (TLB)
We are almost halfway through our journey with Jesus. Way to go! It’s been great to hear from many of you and read the insights you are gleaning from your time with Jesus in the Gospel of John. I can’t think of a better way to start our day and prepare our hearts to face the uncertain times we’re living in with faith, hope and confidence.
As you read John 10, you’ll be drawn into an even deeper intimacy with the Lord Jesus. He came to offer us life – His life, in all its fullness! You will learn to listen for His voice. Does Jesus still speak to His followers? Notice how He uses the illustration of the shepherd and the sheep to describe the relationship we may share with Him in this chapter. Listen for His voice in your journey today. What is He saying to you?
This chapter also gives us confidence in our relationship with Jesus. Sometimes our faith wavers and we may feel like we are losing our grip. We find security in knowing that He’s holding on to us. He said, “No one can snatch them away from Me, for My Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” John 10:28b-30 (NLT)
We began our journey with the challenge to rediscover Jesus. What have you discovered about Jesus so far? Jesus’ critics were ready to stone Him in this chapter for what He claimed. He claimed to be God. They accused Him of blasphemy! In verses 37-38 Jesus said, “Don’t believe Me unless I carry out My Father’s work. But if I do His work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe Me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”
Read John 10 and rediscover who Jesus is. Enter a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him by sharing His life, life in all its fullness! Learn to recognize the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy, and distinguish his voice from that of your loving Shepherd. Decide to follow Him today in all your ways and enjoy grazing in His grace.