Weekend Words

 From Beside the Still Waters...

Jesus Said, "I Am the Door" - Read: John 10:1-10

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." - Acts 4:12

What comes to your mind when you think of a door?  We use many doors.  We have house doors, car doors, garage doors, barn doors, cellar doors, and many more.  Doors are of different sizes and styles.  But they are used for one basic purpose: to enter or exit an enclosure.  Doors are also used to limit access to an area.

In today's Bible reading Jesus said, "I am the door of the sheep."  How is that true?  To come into Jesus' sheepfold and become part of the family of God, we must come through Jesus.  He does not merely control the door; He is the door.  Jesus' words "I am the door" are much like His words "I am the way."  It is our choice whether we will come through Jesus into the sheepfold of God.

In Matthew 7:13-14 we read of two gates, which are similar to doors.  The gate leading to life is "strait," which means narrow and restrictive.  The same is true of Jesus the door because He will not let things come into the sheepfold that would harm the sheep.  Revelation 22:17 says that "whosoever will" may come, but each person must meet Jesus' requirements.  Right will always be right, and wrong will always be wrong.

Jesus is the door because only through Him can we come to God.  He alone paid the ransom to deliver us from sins and then rose from the grave to defeat sin and death forever.  He is our Mediator, the one through whom we have access to God.  "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

Joseph Sharp - Adams, NY

From Beside the Still Waters...

Jesus said, "I Am the Good Shepherd" - Read John 10:11-30

"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." - Isaiah 40:11

What picture comes to mind when you think of a shepherd?  I see a man on a hillside with a flock of sheep.  In the shepherd's hand is a staff that is longer than he is tall, and at the top of the staff is a large, rounded hook.  There is grass on the hillside, and below is a field with a creek in it.  Some parts of the creek are flowing swiftly, but there are portions that are deeper and flow gently and quietly.  The shepherd leads his sheep to the quiet water for a cool, refreshing drink.  When the sun is warm, he finds a tree that provides shade.

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11).  He will be our Shepherd if we will join His flock of sheep.  We must be willing to blend in with the flock and become part of it.  When we do that, we find peace and rest for our soul.

The Good Shepherd uses His staff to guide the sheep.  He uses the hook to rescue sheep that get caught in thorny bushes.  He also uses the staff to fight off enemies that would like to destroy the sheep.  He never uses the staff to beat the sheep, because He loves them.  When the path is narrow and dangerous, the Shepherd walks ahead to show His sheep the right way.  We can always trust the Good Shepherd.

Psalm 23:3 says, "He restoreth my soul."  You see, our soul has been damaged by sin.  The Good Shepherd is the healer of all injuries.   He leads us only in paths of righteousness.  Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He will walk alongside to guide and comfort us.

Joseph Sharp - Adams, NY

We do not need to fear the wolf when we are following the Good Shepherd!