May 13, 2026 -- John 10:27-30 -- Known by the Shepherd

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30 ESV
 
Dear readers, thank you for your patience. There has been a break in preparing these devotions. Over the last 12 days I have been in Ontario. My ailing father passed away May 10th. What follows is a brief portion of the meditation I offered yesterday, at his funeral.
 
Two things I’d like to highlight. First, that our Good Shepherd knows His sheep. He knows their weaknesses. He knows their every inclination to wander from Him. He knows their sinfulness. It is not natural for us, as people, to submit ourselves to the authority of others. We want to rule our own hearts and lives. The problem is, we don’t know enough of God, the world and the wiles of the Devil to be able to govern ourselves wisely. Even so, rebellious as the heart can be, Jesus intentionally shepherds those He knows. He graciously goes after the lost. Binds up their wounds. Rescues them from the mouths of predators. Defends them from all attacks. All the while knowing even as He is defending them, they are likely to run off, and He will have to rescue them again.
 
The second thing I’d like to highlight is that Jesus gives His sheep eternal life. This world is not all there is. God has planted in all of us a longing for life beyond this life. God has given to each one of us a sense there must be more. Those who know the voice of Jesus, are known by Him and follow Him already now have the gift of eternal life.
 
Eternal life, begun here and now, takes on its fullest, and most exciting form in the world to come. Our life here on earth must end, so that the body which has known sin, obeyed its rebellious impulses, will be laid to rest. When the person who has died is raised to life in the new heavens and the new earth that glorified body will have no possibility of sinning ever again. Life eternal is filled with joy because the soul of the believer is joined to the new, glorified body, and sin will never ever again be part of the equation of the relationship between the Shepherd and His beloved sheep.
 
O my great High Priest,
pour down on me streams of needful grace,
bless me in all my undertakings,
in every thought of my mind,
every word of my lips,
every step of my feet,
every deed of my hands.
Thou didst live to bless,
die to bless,
rise to bless,
ascend to bless,
take thy throne to bless,
and now thou dost reign to bless.
O give sincerity to my desires,
earnestness to my supplications,
fervour to my love. Amen.
excerpt from: “After Prayer”, Valley of Vision, page 277
 
https://youtu.be/pN4tPkX0MG0?si=ZQ7ffi7KOjV3F9NC The Lord’s My Shepherd
 

Copyright © 2026 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.