Jesus’ Sheep-Folk – Jesus’ Wealth – Week of April 22, 2024
I am 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 the 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.
John 10:14-16
ECME Devotion April 22, 2024
See series: ECME Devotions
If there is one thing in this world people chase, I think we could all agree that it is money. Now, don’t let me lose you here. Maybe you aren’t hoping to win the lottery or looking for the next side-gig or constantly checking your investments to see if they’ve gone up or listing everything you own on Facebook Marketplace. But I think we can all agree that a little more money wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for our lives and more often than not we tend to chase wealth.
Do you know what God chases?
It’s you.
He chases after the sheep of his flock. We humans are just sheep-folk in need of a shepherd to guide us and keep us safe from the evil one trying to steal us from the safety of what the shepherd promises us. So when we wander off, our Good Shepherd chases after us because we are his livelihood, in other words, he lives for us! Just as sheep are the wealth of a shepherd, we are Jesus’ wealth. We mean everything to him!
Our Good Shepherd, Jesus, lives to serve us. Jesus lives to plead for us in front of the Father. Jesus lives to free us from the guilt and shame of our sins. Jesus lives to prepare a place for us in heaven.
The world promises us so much, but the world fails us even more. Wealth in this world promises a life filled with freedom to live how we want, to travel, to eat well, to dress well, to be entertained. But no matter the amount of wealth we have or chase after, it will always leave us feeling empty in one way or another.
But Jesus… our Good Shepherd promises us a wealth that is beyond our comprehension. When we sheep-folk listen to his words, we hear of the freedom that is already ours in Christ, no chasing needed. We hear of the goodness of God who wants nothing more than to be with us forever. We hear of the peace that awaits us in the arms of our Savior. We hear the truth that we are worth more than life itself. Jesus lives for us. We are his wealth!
Prayer:
Dear Good Shepherd, you chase after me daily and daily I listen instead to the words of this world. Tune my ears to hear your voice above the rest, to chase after you and be near you each day. Remind me of my worth in you. Remind me of your goodness, peace, and truth that I may tell others about my Good Shepherd too! Amen.
Question to consider:
Jesus, our Good Shepherd, chases after us. What is one way you can chase after him today?
When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, he proved that we were worth more than anything to him. List a few other ways that Jesus has shown us that we are worth so much to him.
