The Shepherd’s Life

A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

John 10:10, HCSB

DAVID IS LYING ON THE COUCH, feet up, enjoying the game he’s been waiting all week to watch. All of a sudden, during the commercial break, he’s bombarded with ads for a better car, a better body, and a better social life. For a split second he begins to think that someone is holding out on him. In what had been a peaceful, enjoyable Sunday afternoon, he now feels upset, believing there’s a better life out there that he could have had.

This is the way the enemy works. He sows little seeds of doubt, suggesting that God doesn’t really have your best interests in mind, that He is holding out on you. This is how the story of Scripture begins. Adam and Eve were deceived into thinking there was something better for them apart from God.

The truth is that God has given us everything we need. Just as a shepherd cares for his sheep by giving them his provision and protection, God does the same for us. He knows what’s good for us. He knows exactly what we need. And He protects us from the lies of the enemy.

We can easily be deceived into thinking, If only I had that or If only I looked like him. But that way of thinking only steals our joy. Jesus came that we might have complete joy in Him, not in what we have or don’t have.

BOTTOM LINE

Abundant life is found in having Christ—not our circumstances—define our lives.

Moment of Strength: Psalm 23