Good morning boys and
girls!
How
many of you have pets? I have three of them at my house right now. I have
three cats. One is a sixteen year old male named Rusty because he is
rust-coloured. My family also calls him Tubby because he is fat. He loves to eat, and he loves begging for food whenever anyone
is in the kitchen. He also loves to explore the house and the yard, especially
the basement.
We
also have his sister, and her name is Mama. She’s usually very quiet and sleeps
most of the time-usually outside my bedroom door. The third one is a four year
old male name Bo. He loves to stir up trouble, especially with Rusty. Sometimes
I have to take a squirt bottle filled with water and let him have it………although
one time I had to use a glass that was half-filled with water.
All
three of them are a big responsibility, just like all pets are a big
responsibility, but everyone in the family loves them. They have to have lots
of food and water. They have to be kept cleaned and taken to the veterinarian
when they are sick. They need someone to care for them.
People
also need someone to take care of them. Who takes care of you? Jesus
also looks after us, and he tells how and why he cares for us in John 10:11-18,
and I’ll read that to you right now.
Jesus
referred to himself as the good shepherd so that the people would know what he
was talking about. Jesus was preaching in Palestine, and sheep were quite
common in that area. Sheep are not very smart though. They were easy prey for
animals such as bears, foxes or coyotes. They needed someone to protect them
from harm and to lead them to fresh grass to eat. They needed someone who would be willing to
die to protect the sheep. That person is a shepherd. Let me explain what a
shepherd does by telling you a story about a boy named Seth.
"Mr. Markley," Seth said after class one morning, "in our
lesson, why did Jesus call Himself a good shepherd?"
Seth
was new in the class. His home was in Texas, and he didn't usually go to Sunday
school. But he was spending a few weeks with his grandparents, and they took
him to Sunday school. He liked it very much. Seth grinned at his Sunday school
teacher now. "I'd like it better if Jesus said, 'I am the good cowboy!' We
have lots of cowboys back home. I'm going to be one someday!"
Mr.
Markley laughed. "I know you love your Texas ranch, Seth," he
replied, "but Jesus knew what He was saying when He compared Himself to a
shepherd rather than a cowboy. Tell me--what does a cowboy do?"
"Aw,
that's easy." Seth's eyes lit up. "He drives the cattle where he
wants them to go. They used to do it on horseback, but now they use pickup
trucks a lot. Sometimes they even use helicopters! That's what I want to
do!"
"Well,
how about sheep?" asked Mr. Markley, "How do you get sheep to go
where you want them to go? Do you drive them, too--with a horse or truck or
helicopter?"
Seth
grinned. "I don't really know a lot about sheep. I just know they used to
always need a shepherd to take care of them. Otherwise, I guess they wandered
away and got lost or got into trouble. I think they're kind of dumb. That's why
I'd rather have . . ."
Mr.
Markley held up a hand. "Wait a minute," he said. "Think about
the way people act, and maybe you'll see why Jesus compared Himself to a
shepherd. Do you think maybe we're more like sheep than cattle? Most people
don't mind following a good leader, but they don't like to be forced to go any
particular way."
"I
guess that's true," acknowledged Seth.
Mr.
Markley nodded. "God doesn't force us to go His way--like a cowboy would
drive the cattle. God is like a loving shepherd, ready to help us and lead us.
Without Him, we're lost and just wander around."
"I
think I get it," said Seth, "and I guess I'll be learning more about
that while I'm here, right?"Mr. Markley smiled and nodded.
Let’s
bow our heads for a moment of prayer. Dear God, Thank you for being our Good
Shepherd. Thank you for loving us and taking care of us. Thank you for laying
down your life for us so that we can have eternal life with you in heaven. In
Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.
Bibliography
3.
Real Life Devotional Bible
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zonderkidz; 2008)
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