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The Father and I are one. John 10:30
If you want to know what God is like, see Jesus.
Throughout history there has been an effort to define God. If you read through the Old Testament, and believe it to be the word of God, you may be inclined to see a God of anger and wrath, a God that warns that disobedience will bring swift and deadly consequences.
Yet if you read deeper into those passages you see that the times of ‘God’s wrath’ were natural consequences of human behavior or the refusal to heed God’s warnings.
Jesus not only came to die for our sins, he came to show us the Father. Jesus makes the statement in John 10:30 that he and the Father are one. Not that they are the same person, but the same in essence and purpose.
Want to see what God is like?
He’s the good shepherd that seeks you out when you have wandered off.
He’s the one person you can count on to get down in the dirt with you when you’ve been caught in adultery (or any other sin).
He’s the one that will reach out and touch you when society rejects you (as he did with the lepers of his day).
He’s the one that calls you to himself with the storm is raging around you, and lifts you up when the walk across the water is too much.
Want to see God? See Jesus!
What other pictures of the Father do you see in the life of Jesus?
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. John 10:29
In the previous verse Jesus teaches that as our Good Shepherd we are safe in his hands. Now, as he continues His teaching about being our Good Shepherd he gives us further assurance of our security in Him.
We are not only safe because of Jesus power and strength, as our savior, we are safe because we are also in the Father’s hands and He is ‘more powerful than anyone else’. It’s easy here to miss a vital truth. Jesus says ‘no one’ not ‘nothing’.
We struggle with doubt. We struggle with fear. We struggle with anger. We are hurt by the church and hurt by those who don’t believe. But those are all actions from our main enemy, Satan. He will send anything in our way to pull us away from the Father and his eternal promises.
When we are in His hands, none of the tactics of Satan or his evil cohorts can pull us away. You are doubly protected, doubly loved, doubly cared for. Even when we stray away, He knows where we are and seeks us out. There is no reason to fear when the Father is near.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, John 10:28
We were watching a parade in the downtown area of a major metropolitan city one time when we were the unfortunate witnesses to a purse snatching. While we were in no danger, we saw the quickness of the act.
A young man casually walking down the street, reaching out and yanking a purse away from an unsuspecting woman, and running into the crowd. It was fast. It was totally unexpected. It caused the victim loss. We don’t know the outcome of the story. I wish I could say the young man was caught and the valuables recovered, that would be a happy ending to the story. But we all know the likelyhood of that is slim.
One day, Jesus was teaching those gathered around him. He likened His relationship with them as that of a good shepherd to his sheep. He loves His sheep. He knows the intricate personality quirks of each of His sheep, and in today’s verse we are reminded that he protects his sheep.
The enemy of our souls is like a chameleon. He camouflages himself in many ways to hide his presence and keep his victims unaware. He could attack with a critical word, or a broken relationship. He could attack with financial hardship or sudden health issues. He could attack with fear, worry or doubt. He attacks us daily with temptation to sin, and guilt when we give in. He has many weapons at his disposal to try to destroy us.
But Jesus reminds us that no one can snatch us away from His loving protection. Nothing can keep us from experiencing His peace here on earth of our eternal destiny. No matter what you are going through today. No matter what attacks you are enduring. No matter what failure has, once again, become a part of you.
The attacks of the enemy are often quick and unexpected. But Jesus, your Good Shepherd, will never allow you to become a victim of the enemy. He sees the attacks coming and helps you through them. You are secure in him.
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 2 Corinthians 4:17
I recently went through some pretty significant health issues that I’m still in the process of recovering from. I’m so thankful for the medical personnel that tended to me and continue to tend to me through this ordeal.
One of the things I find humorous is how calm and almost nonchalant my surgeon was about the surgery. In a calm manner he told us what he would do, what the expectations were, what the risks were and what I could expect in the future. All this was said in a calm, factual manner, yet in our minds it was huge! Why? Because this was something totally out of our control and would be life-changing.
When I read the above verse my first inclination would be to say to the Apostle Paul, “What do you mean this present struggle is small? My life is in the balance here!” But we look in the temporal, Paul was looking with an eternal perspective.
Whether we live to be 100 or die young, our earthly lives are a blip on the screen, a tiny dot on the horizon. Yet the glory we receive on the other end when we see Jesus will make all the social unrest, the political divisions and the unanswered prayers seem insignificant.
An eternal perspective, based on our faith in Jesus, allows us to have peace and security in a troubled world because the best is yet to come and far exceeds anything we can imagine.
Focus on the eternal.
Value all the experiences you go through in life.
Rest in his promise of the glory we have ahead of us in eternity with Him!
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:58
If you have ever had a puppy that you were training, you know the value of ‘treats’. Your dog will most likely do anything if a treat is involved!
The same is true for children. Teachers and parents alike will tell you that something as simple as a sticker will elicit proper responses to your requests.
We never really outgrow the need for recognition. Employers know the value of recognizing those who work for them, and their customers. Recognition, in its various forms instills value. Recognition builds a fire in those recognized to excel. Recognition gives us a feeling of belonging. Recognition boosts morale.
The opposite is also true. When we don’t get recognition for our efforts discouragement, frustration and the lack of desire to excel can happen. Lack of recognition is a real morale killer in the workplace, the family and any other relationship.
It’s easy to feel like nothing you do is making a difference when it seems no one is noticing. You may feel like people aren’t responding to your message. The work you do today needs to be redone tomorrow. With all the time and effort you put into a project, it seems like no one notices.
Always remember this. God sees you. He sees your efforts. He feels your intentions. He comforts you in your defeats and high fives you in the victories. Press on. Do what he leads you to do. Don’t be discouraged by the response you get from people, be encouraged by the one who has gifted you to do what you do.
When Paul writes this verse in 1 Corinthians, he isn’t about ministry, or service organizations. Elsewhere Paul writes, ‘do everything for the glory of the Lord’. He makes no distinction between washing dishes and laundry and saving someone’s life. The importance of what you are doing isn’t dependent on the recognition of fickle humans God has gifted you for excellence. Stay strong. Press on. Endure the struggle and celebrate the victories when/if they come.
Always remember. God sees you and appreciates you.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 