Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 118
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say,“His faithful love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His faithful love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His faithful love endures forever.”
5 I called to the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place.
6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?
7 The Lord is my helper; therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
Read the Entire Psalm
Give thanks to the Lord… what can a mere mortal do to me? A mere mortal can actually do a lot. They can inflict physical pain or emotional / relational pain. What can they do in an ultimate sense? Even if a person were to take your physical life, God’s love would endure. If you have trusted Christ, you would be with God forever. Even if they withhold their affection from you or slander you verbally, God’s faithful love endures. Would your emotional pain diminish? Maybe, but you can be certain that God’s faithful love will endure. Give thanks to Him for His faithful love. Praise Him for His enduring love.
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 10:1-21 – New Living Translation
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
10 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
19 When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. 20 Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?” 21 Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for those who do not know God. Ask God to help you see the lost people around you and have compassion for them. Ask God for opportunities to build trust. Ask God to give you opportunities to have gospel conversations.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Jesus is the “good” shepherd. The word in the Greek means “noble” or “worthy.” We tend to conjure up images of a soft man holding a lamb, but a shepherd was a rough and ready guy. They lived hard, dangerous lives. The sheep follow them because they are “good” at what they do, being shepherds. Jesus is the Good Shepherd; he defines good, not us. His goodness can appear to be harsh, or confusing, or far from what we might choose for ourselves. His goodness sees from eternity. He tells us how to be good sheep. Good sheep are not merely compliant, they are sheep who are learning how to live a life without lack. This happens as they follow the Good shepherd and don’t venture off on their own. He is the Good Shepherd; the Good life is only found in following closely behind him and learning to hear and love his voice.