At the Cross
I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE
Sign in to rateThe Shepherd of Our Souls
The Prophet Isaiah explained the condition of mankind this way, “All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all To fall on Him.” (Isaiah 53:6). It was to this lost and sinful world that Jesus came down—to rescue His sheep—as the Good Shepherd who willingly laid down His life for us, His sheep.Have you ever wondered what makes Jesus the one and only “Good Shepherd”? Here are some qualities listed in John Chapter 10…..”He knows His own, and His own know Him” (v 4). Jesus “calls His sheep by name and leads them out” (v 3). Jesus’ sheep have a real personal relationship with Him! He goes before us, and His word promises in Psalm 32:8 that “He will instruct us and teach us in the way we should go.” When He is with us we are assured of His divine protection. In Psalm 46:1 we are guaranteed that “God is our refuge and strength and an ever-present help in trouble.”
Most importantly, He is the only, true and loving Shepherd who willingly laid down His life for us. Romans 5:8 captures this most beautifully, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The best part of it all is that the Good Shepherd warrants His sheep with eternal life and security. In Jesus’ words, "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand” (v 28-29). All of us can recall a time when we went astray and did not follow the Good Shepherd as we should—But, here is an incredible promise our Savior gives us here in chapter 10–that if you’ve been called by name and are one of His sheep—you will never be abandoned by our good God. In fact we could say—the Good Shepherd is the Only Guardian of our souls. Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:25: “For you were continually …