John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
     Jesus is the Door and the good Shepherd in Jesus’ parable. He’s a good shepherd because He will do whatever it costs to save His sheep—even to laying down His life. He is prophesying what He will do to save us and give us abundant life. God’s love: the sustained direction of the will (He lays) toward the highest good (salvation) of others (the sheep) no matter what the cost (His life). What a good shepherd we have!  We are His sheep. We are saved!  We are loved! Jesus, You are good indeed!

Live to Love Scripture Encouragements

Live to Love Scripture Encouragement John 10.11

1 John 2:11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
My guess is that most of us have tripped over something in the dark. That’s the scene John painted in this verse as he described those who have hatred in their hearts for a brother or sister. When someone walks in darkness, he can’t see where he’s going—namely, to Judgment Day when he will give an account of his life to Jesus. John said he’s not only walking in the darkness, he is in the darkness. 
Jesus described the person who walks in darkness as someone who also has the darkness in them. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matt. 6:23). When we live for self, we are consumed with the darkness of unbelief—the lack of faith in God. That inner darkness is revealed on the outside by a hatred for one’s brother or sister. Jesus taught that those who live in the inner darkness will eventually be thrown into the outer darkness (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). 
Presently, we who live to love with Jesus as walking in the Light because we have the Light of His life dwelling within. With Jesus, we are the outer light to those who are in the darkness and therefore walk in darkness. As long as the darkness in them is the “light” or the guide to how they live, they cannot see His love revealed in Christ or in us. However, at any point, God can open the eyes of their hearts to see His light. There is still hope for them as long as the outer light shines. We pray for God to open their eyes to the Light of His love in Christ and in us as we live to love them with Jesus.

The one who hates is in darkness

Hebrews 12:23 to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
Yesterday’s verse focused on the place, the heavenly Jerusalem, to where we are running. Today’s verse has those who dwell in heaven in view. We aren’t living for the glory of God by living to love with Jesus just so we can get to a destination. When we believed in Christ, we came to a new family. We became part of a universal assembly of all believers of all time. The author called it the assembly of the firstborn. Jesus, of course, is the firstborn, the head of the church. 
We also learn that our names are registered in heaven. Are you on heaven’s registry? Paul wrote of this to the Philippians in 4:3. “Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” We read of this register in Rev. 21:27. “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Our names are already posted at the finish line! Praise to the Lord!
We are also encouraged that we have come to God, the Judge of all, the Mighty One, as we read yesterday from Ps. 50. Jesus came and died to bring us to God and present us before Him, holy and blameless and without reproach (Col. 1:22). Hebrews 2:10-11 made this point clear. “For it was fitting for Him, for whom and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father. For this reason, He is not ashamed to call them brothers.” We have come to God.

And we have also come to the spirits of the righteous made perfect. Let me quote Jonathan Edwards again from Heaven, A World of Love. “There are none but lovely objects in heaven. — No. odious, or unlovely, or polluted person or thing is to be seen there. All the persons that belong to the blessed society of heaven are lovely. The father of the family is lovely, and so are all his children; the head of the body lovely, and so are all the members. Among the angels there are none that are unlovely — for they are all holy.” 
Can you see who we have come to when we believe in Jesus? We are now part of a community of brothers and sisters who will know nothing but love for one another because the entire atmosphere is love. How do we get ready for that experience? We live our lives to love our brothers and sisters now with Jesus because that’s what we are going to do for all eternity. Let’s get a head start today. Love with Jesus, knowing that God, the Judge, the Father of the family, will reward you greatly and you will be filled with His joy forever.
If you haven’t read my book, Live to Love, I hope you’ll visit livetolovewithjesus.com and get your free copy, or download the audio or ebook. I encourage you to get some friends together to go through the book and encourage each other to live to love with Jesus because you know where you are going and who is going with you.

Are you on heaven’s registry?

This is the monthly blog by Norm Wakefield from www.livetolovewithjesus.com. To love like Jesus loves, one must believe and think the way Jesus believed and thought. This month, Norm, unpacks the first of three foundational truths that Jesus believed that are the bedrock of loving with Him.

Are you on heaven’s registry?

Norm Wakefield

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