How God's Goodness Changes Everythingনমুনা

God, in His Goodness, Protects and Directs You

“My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:10-11 (TLB)

Shepherds carry tools to care for and protect their sheep. They use a rod for guarding and protecting, and they use a curved staff to rescue the sheep.

We are like lost sheep in need of protection and direction—so Jesus came to earth to be our Good Shepherd. He said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:10-11 TLB).

Just as a shepherd uses the physical tools of the rod and the staff for direction and protection, God wants to direct and protect you. Here are two ways he does that:

If you follow him, Jesus leads you in the right direction.

You need a guide—Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who leads from the front and calls you forward. This is different from a cowboy, who drives cattle from the back. Jesus is not going to push you through life. He gets in front of you and essentially says, “Watch how I do it. Look where I go.”

John 10:4 says, “When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice” (CEV).

If you bring your hurts to him, Jesus is compassionate.

Jesus has compassion on us, because he knows that we are helpless without him. Matthew 9:36 says, “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (NIV). The sense in the original Greek text is that Jesus hurt deeply for the people in the crowd and wanted to help them.

In the same way, when you bring your pain to Jesus, he doesn’t put you down; he lifts you up. He doesn’t hassle you; he heals you.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 ESV). Because of his goodness, you can trust him to direct and protect you.

In what direction is Jesus leading you right now in your work? Your family? Your community? Your church? Your relationships?

This devotional © 2025 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.