Devotional: The Savior Has Come To Shepherd Us
Have you ever anticipated something that did not turn out the way you expected? Matthew 2:1-6 shows the tension between how we want it and how God wants it. Israel wanted a ruler that was appointed as King. We are no different. We want to appoint ourselves as a mini-rulers over our own lives. There’s only one problem. We are sheep – dumb, nearly blind, and always wandering off. That’s why God sent a Good Shepherd to lead us with his relationship with us and with his sacrifice for us. His closeness to us makes us know and respond to the sound of his voice. And his sacrifice on the cross restores us back into His embrace when we wander away from Him.
Questions For Meditation
- Was Christ the ruler that Israel expected? What are some unmet expectations that you wrestle with?
- Each of us wants to be our own ruler, but the Bible compares us to sheep. What does that say about how qualified we are to rule our own lives?
- Does your senator or President know you personally? Yet, the Good Shepherd governs through relationship. What does that mean?
- Read John 10:14 and John 14:15. What does “knowing” the Good Shepherd have to do with “obeying” Him? Does Christ’s intimacy and closeness make us able to obey and love him more?
- Like sheep, we wander away and get stranded in sin. Read John 10:15. What did the Good Shepherd do to create a bridge back to God? Are you willing to confess your sin and let the Good Shepherd bring you back into His embrace?