For the Love of Us All

WITNESS

4-23-13

DUTY

In the tenth chapter

Of Saint John’s Gospel

Jesus tells us an amazing story

Basically it is the story

And the difference

Between doing something out of a sense of duty

And doing something out of love for another

It is the story of

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

The hired hand

Watches the sheep

He is not a bad man

He is doing his job

Out of honor---our of a sense of duty

To receive a paycheck

But when the moment of crisis comes

When the wolves---or the thieves---or something else

Comes to attack the sheep

The hired hand will take off

After all

Who can expect an employee

To give up his life for his job

The GOOD SHEPHERD will not run

He will stand by his sheep when under attack

HE LOVES HIS SHEEP

“I am the good shepherd

The good shepherd lays down his life

For the sheep

The hired hand is not the shepherd

Who owns the sheep

So when he sees the wolf coming

He abandons the sheep and runs away

Then the wolf attacks the flock

And scatters it

The man runs away

Because he is a hired hand

And cares nothing for the sheep”                                           John 10:11-13

Who or what

Are you trusting in this life

If it’s not God or close family

Or very close friends

I guarantee you

That when the attacks in this life come---

And they will come---that they will be gone

In that same Xth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel

Jesus goes on to say,

“I ma the good shepherd

I KNOW MY SHEEP

And my sheep KNOW me

Just as the Father knows me

And I know the Father

And I lay down my life for my sheep

I have other sheep

That are not of this sheep pen

I must bring them also

They too

Will listen to my voice

And there shall be one flock

And one shepherd

The reason my Father loves me

Is that I lay down my life---

Only to take it up again

NO ONE takes it from me

But I lay it down

Of my own accord

I have authority to lay it down

And authority to take it up again

This command

I received from my Father                                                John 10:14-18

What a comforting feeling to know

That WHEN WE GET LOST in this life

That OUR FATHER---and his SON JESUS CHRIST

Our elder brother

Is standing right there beside us

FIGHTING for us

If only we let THEM

Jesus tells us

That when we love someone

We go “BEYOND” the call---out of love

We go

THE EXTRA MILE

“My sheep listen to my voice

I know them---and they FOLLOW me”                              John 10: 27

Dear Lord—we pray

Thank you for loving us

And counting us among your sheep

Robert P. Wallman

2-9-12

Ps        WITNESS        4-23-13

Duty is an obligation-LOVE-is FREELY GIVEN