Good morning! Some days, perhaps every day, it is good to recall what we have in Christ Jesus. At times, we may feel that it is difficult or even impossible to follow our perfect Lord. We look at the sin in us and feel the lusts of the flesh, and wonder how we will ever get to Heaven. Then, we look to our Lord and we are reminded of His grace. "I paid for all of that; let it go!" our Lord commands us one more time. In Christ we have mercy, the taking away of the penalty we deserve for our sins. The forgiveness we do not merit through our own actions is given to us without a demand for payment. The Holy Spirit of God dwells within our hearts, reminding us of the Word of God at all times. Jesus named this spirit the Comforter, an important name to remember when fear and doubt attack us in the dark of the night. Our Lord is the perfect example of perfect love, and love casts out fear. Love does not cast us out, but our fears.
How like a busload of bleating sheep we are. Jesus is driving the bus, getting us faithfully to our destination, and we are constantly looking to the sides. Imagine a busload of children all looking at different things and demanding to 'go over there'. How much like the bleating of a flock of sheep would that sound? Jesus' answer to that: I love my sheep. Not once is the bus stopped and anyone thrown off. We have security in our Lord and bus driver. When Jesus said that those who come to Him will not be cast out, there were no exceptions for later behavior. Our Lord calmed the raging seas. When the storms of life come to test our faith, a time will also come when the storm is calmed. Circumstances may continue to erupt, but the peace of our Lord Jesus will come to your heart. The Comforter will remind us that Jesus gave to us His peace, a peace not as the world gives, but one that comes from Christ alone. We have each other too.
Yup, more of them bleating sheep. Sometimes we can hardly hear our own bleating over the noise. Yes, we are not the perfect leaders or even the perfect followers, but we do have each other and our love of Christ. This light and love from our Lord Jesus spreads from one to another to another and we are very blessed in this. Doubts, fears, pain, guilt, all of this is easier to bear together. Sheep need their Shepherd and their flock. When we wander away, Jesus comes to bring us back to the flock, even at times bringing the flock to us. Grace, love, mercy, peace, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and there is so much more we have in Christ Jesus, but we must be about our work. Praise the Lord for this new day!
Bucky
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