HIS SHEEP

Good morning!

Praise God for this new day! Praise God for all the rain we had the last few days! We really needed it. Praise God for the wonderful Christmas festivities in the last few weeks! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

"The good shepherd calls His 
own sheep by name."

John 10:3

I had vowed when I started this blog that I would not use my daily devotional in my blog on the same day I read it. But today God spoke to me through it. Above is the verse. If Jesus is the good shepherd, which the Bible says He is, and we are His sheep, then He knows each and every one of our names, and calls us by name. The Bible says it, so it is true.                

    “I am the good shepherd. 
The good shepherd  
lays  down his life 
     for the sheep.                        John 10:11
                                                                                                           “I am the good shepherd; I know my 

sheep and my sheep know me—

John 10:14

If you wish to read more about Christ being our shepherd and we being the sheep in great detail, go to: http://www.gracegems.org/Watson/good_shepherd.htm. It is quite long but really explains it in explicit detail.

But I was more interested in sharing the part about being called by name. God knows us intimately. 

He knows how many hairs are on our head in Matthew 10:30:

And even the very hairs of your 
head are all numbered.

He knows the heart in Acts 15:8:

God, who knows the heart, showed that 
he accepted them by giving the Holy 
Spirit to them, just as he did to us.

He knows everything in 1 John 3:20:

If our hearts condemn us, we know that 
God is greater than our hearts, 
and he knows everything.

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14

God knew us from the very beginning. And He knows our name. Have you ever gone somewhere and met someone, at some point in your life, and met them again and they knew your name. And you thought wow "I can't believe they remembered my name." It feels really great when someone remembers our name. I am not very good with names. But God is very good with names. When you think of how many billions of people are in this world now and in the past and God knows every one of us by name. Or does He only know His sheep by name, those who belong to Him? Still a lot of people. Amazing to think of, isn't it? 

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 

Isaiah 43:1

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

Psalm 139:1-6

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;

Jeremiah 1:5a

“Because he holds fast to me in love, 

I will deliver him; I will protect 

him, because he knows my name. 

Psalm 91:14

God knows us very, very intimately. He knows our name and will not forget it. He knows every detail of our lives, every hair and cell of our bodies, our hearts. And He loves us regardless of what we have done or think about doing. He looks at our hearts, not at our bodies. As our Great Shepherd, Jesus wants to lead us, to guide us, to protect us, to love us, and all the other things that a shepherd does for his sheep. And He wants to do these things to us. Will we let Him and will we listen?

So, as Jesus calls us by name into His flock, and loves on us, and fills us up with Himself, let us remember the Reason for the season. Jesus won't forget your name.

Have a great day!

Les