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

Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Four times in Paul’s letters, he refers to God as the God of peace. God isn’t a god of peace. He is the one and only God of peace. God, the Father of Jesus Christ, has made peace with sinners through the death of His Son so that He could be with us. What God does such a thing but our God? All the other so-called gods of this world are only at peace with men if the men do something to please them or appease them. But our God loved us when we were enemies. When we were dead in our transgressions and sins against Him, He made us alive together with Christ, raised us up with Him, and then seated us in the heavenly places with Him (Eph. 2:5-6). Our God is rich in mercy, and His love is so great that He gave His Son to bring us to Himself. Then in response to Jesus’ request, God gave His Spirit of life in Christ to dwell in us so we could live with and through Him. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved wretches like us!
These words are a moving prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ. If the God of peace is with us, then we become peace-makers in this world. James wrote, James 3:18. “And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” We are equipped to love others because we are at peace with God and are carried and moved by His love which has been poured out within our hearts. Because we have been loved, we love. The more we are aware of His presence and love, the more we treasure Jesus and long for others to experience the peace, love, and joy of Jesus for the glory of God. 
Now may the God of peace be with you today. Amen.

The God of peace is with you.

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

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.

The God of peace is with you.

Norm Wakefield

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