12-5-13 “Come and Go Freely”
John 10:7-10 Jesus said,
I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 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. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
I love reminders of why Jesus came! The world is so guilt ridden and full of shame that they have concocted God to be mean and cruel, a punisher or harsh task master. But when you actually read the Bible for yourself you find out why God sent Jesus and no cruel purpose was intended.
John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned.
God sent Jesus to save us, not judge us. We’ve already been judged as sinners who need saving, so God sent us the Cure not a punishment. Those who believe God is cruel are the ones who don’t believe in Jesus. They feel condemned because they are unless they repent and believe.
And look at who God sent to save us! Jesus! Those who come through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pasture. He came so we could believe God exists and the benefit to that is freedom! And good pasture aka: pleasant things! And a rich and satisfying life! That does NOT sound like punishment to me. Neither does it sound like God is mean or mad. It sounds like he loves the ones who love him an awful lot.
They will come and go freely... is just the opposite of what the unbelieving world thinks is going on in a Christian’s life. They think Believers are trapped and forced to follow a bunch of rules and that we are leading restricted bland lives. But we are not. We freely go about our business without fear like a sheep entering freely in and out of a pen to find food. The Shepherd is constantly watching the ones who belong to him and there is no way a wolf is going to get to those lambs. No, that doesn’t sound like God is mean at all.
Dear God,
Thank you so much for who you really are and that you are nothing like the raging angry God or kind grandfather in the sky the world has decided you are. You are loving, and generous, and kind, and attentive. Thank you so much for sending Jesus so we can be free and looked after. I love being free and free from worry and well cared for and I thank you and praise you in Jesus’ name, amen.
John 10:7-10 Jesus said,
I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 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. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
I love reminders of why Jesus came! The world is so guilt ridden and full of shame that they have concocted God to be mean and cruel, a punisher or harsh task master. But when you actually read the Bible for yourself you find out why God sent Jesus and no cruel purpose was intended.
John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned.
God sent Jesus to save us, not judge us. We’ve already been judged as sinners who need saving, so God sent us the Cure not a punishment. Those who believe God is cruel are the ones who don’t believe in Jesus. They feel condemned because they are unless they repent and believe.
And look at who God sent to save us! Jesus! Those who come through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pasture. He came so we could believe God exists and the benefit to that is freedom! And good pasture aka: pleasant things! And a rich and satisfying life! That does NOT sound like punishment to me. Neither does it sound like God is mean or mad. It sounds like he loves the ones who love him an awful lot.
They will come and go freely... is just the opposite of what the unbelieving world thinks is going on in a Christian’s life. They think Believers are trapped and forced to follow a bunch of rules and that we are leading restricted bland lives. But we are not. We freely go about our business without fear like a sheep entering freely in and out of a pen to find food. The Shepherd is constantly watching the ones who belong to him and there is no way a wolf is going to get to those lambs. No, that doesn’t sound like God is mean at all.
Dear God,
Thank you so much for who you really are and that you are nothing like the raging angry God or kind grandfather in the sky the world has decided you are. You are loving, and generous, and kind, and attentive. Thank you so much for sending Jesus so we can be free and looked after. I love being free and free from worry and well cared for and I thank you and praise you in Jesus’ name, amen.
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