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 3:17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

How would you like to be someone with whom God is angry for 40 years? I’m not thinking that’s a very good idea. Don’t you agree? I hope you can see the love of God in reminding us of that generation of people who having sinned, died in the wilderness. The author turned to Ps. 95 to encourage his readers to hold fast to the gospel promise of entering God’s rest. He encouraged them to hold fast with confidence to Christ to the very end of their lives by citing the failure of the Israelites who came out of Egypt. 

Today’s encouragement from this verse is to remind us not to treat the sin of unbelief lightly. When our hearts harden, we will make excuses for sin. It’s amazing how we can deceive ourselves and rationalize sinful actions and words. All we have to do is look at the lies Adam and Eve fell for. “God didn’t really mean that we aren’t supposed to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Can it really be so bad? Eating of it won’t really kill us.” You can read about some of the same kind of deceptive thinking in the generation of which the author wrote in this verse. All of the verses after 3:12 warn us not to treat the sin of unbelief lightly, but rather take great care not to tolerate even the slightest vestige of it. “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” 
My recommendation and encouragement to you is to live for the same purpose Jesus did: to reveal the love of God, by the grace of God, for the glory of God. If you will live by the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus, you not only won’t be in danger of angering God, but you will please Him. You’ll also have assurance that you will enter into His rest, because if you are with Him now in life, you’ll be with Him when He comes. 
If you haven’t rethought about what you live for, then I encourage you to do so today. Are you living to love with Jesus for God’s glory as your purpose in life? Have you heard His word through His Son from John 15:5-11?

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

I encourage you to hold fast to Jesus’ words until the end of your life. Abide in Him, and let His words abide in you. He promises to bear fruit in you if you do so.

Don’t treat the sin of unbelief lightly

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.

Don’t treat the sin of unbelief lightly

Norm Wakefield

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