"LET'S GIVE JESUS A PEACE OF MIND"

MONDAY, 30 APRIL 2007
Reading: John 10:1-10

There are people who are truly concerned about your good; others are only concerned about what they can get out of you, how they can use you. Jesus is among the former. There is no one who is as selfless as he is.

What does Jesus have to gain by your making it into heaven? You have everything to lose if you don’t. Jesus came to earth for you, not for himself. He compared himself to a loving, selfless shepherd who devotes his life to taking care of his sheep. The good shepherd will risk his life for his sheep; he will suffer and die to save them.

However, it isn’t all without reward for the shepherd. There seems to be something that the shepherd gains from the safety and happiness of his sheep. He gains peace of mind, contentment, satisfaction, pride. His sheep’s happiness and welfare make him happy. I suspect it is the same with Christ.

When you are safely following Jesus and doing what he says, it gives him peace of mind. He knows nothing can hurt you as long as you stick with him. And so, he experiences contentment and satisfaction when you listen to his voice and do what he tells you. Therefore, it seems Jesus does gain something from you. Imagine, you have the power to make the Son of God happier than he already is by the way you live your life. But that is not why he came, that is not why he wants you to go to heaven. It is your happiness that he puts first. Listen to what Jesus says about those who use us and what he says about himself: “The thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it to the full.”

How can anyone keep from loving a person like that!