December 25, 2011
John 10:7-10
“Very truly, I tell
you, I am the gate for the sheep. All
who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to
them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by
me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
To Give Life…
How do we know what is true? How do we know what is real? So often we are told one thing and discover
something else. The world is full of
half-truths and it is not always clear what is real and what is fake. Jesus came to clear things up. “Very truly, I tell you”. There is no falseness in Jesus. In Jesus you don’t find half-truth. Jesus is simply true. Following Jesus brings us clarity in
life. Jesus came to give life, to make
life clear, and to have a meaningful life.
Yet many do not discover this life. What seems as if it should be crystal clear
often feels cloudy and uncertain. It is
because there is a gate. Jesus uses the
shepherd analogy to illustrate choice.
Jesus is the gateway to life. Yet
in order to discover this life we must enter in. “Whoever enters by me will be saved.” Other gates lead to death and
destruction. Other gates appear to be
good and meaningful, but never live up to their appearance. It is faith that allows life to become
clear. It is belief and acceptance of
Christ as savior and Lord that leads us to green pastures. Jesus speaks the truth and invites us to
believe it. Will we?
Jesus came to give us life. Real life.
Meaningful life. Life that does
not end. Life that matters. What’s more, he came to give us this life
abundantly. Jesus isn’t about keeping
people out. He does not treat life as a
scarce resource to be guarded and hoarded.
He gives life abundantly to all who believe. Following Jesus isn’t a mystery. Living well is possible. We simply need to believe and trust our
creator, savior, and Lord. I wonder, do
we know and live in this life?
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