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

2 John 9  Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
This verse continues John’s thoughts about the false teachers, deceivers, antichrists who were a threat to the beloved. In verse 8, he warned them to watch out that they didn’t get hindered by their lies. In this verse, John circled back to the essential doctrine of the incarnation and its reward, namely, the abiding presence of both the Father and the Son. 
From John’s perspective, these false teachers had run right past the incarnation of God in the flesh with His teachings to believe in Him and love one another. He said in verse 7 that they didn’t acknowledge Jesus Christ in the flesh, meaning they passed over it. They ran past it. They went on to other teachings that were not founded and grounded in the life of Christ. That proved to John that they did not have God.
Those who have the Father and the Son don’t run past the teaching that Jesus is God incarnate. They abide, dwell, and remain grounded in that great truth. They live in and through Him! That’s as far as their search needs to go. They’ve found the way, the truth, and the life. As His word abides in them, they abide in Him. Listen to what John heard from Jesus. “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” (John 15:7-10). 
The way we love God is to obey His command to love one another. Remember what John wrote in vs. 6? “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.” Those who live to love with Jesus are abiding in the teaching of Christ. They know they have both the Father and the Son. May I ask you, “Have you gone too far? Are you satisfied with Jesus? Or are you searching for something or someone in this world to satisfy your soul? If you are, you have gone too far. Your continued search for something more indicates you don’t have the Father and the Son in your life. If you did have Him, you wouldn’t be searching for more. 
Those who abide in the teaching of Jesus Christ, know they are profoundly and eternally loved and have found life, life indeed, in Jesus. That’s the source of living to love with Jesus.

Have you gone too far?

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.

Have you gone too far?

Norm Wakefield

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