Finding I AmНамуна

Jesus is the Sheep Gate and the Good Shepherd.

Jesus willingly laid down His life for us, His sheep. Jesus is the final atoning sacrifice for our sins. The old sacrificial system of bringing a sheep or other animal to the altar is complete now that Jesus chose to lay down His spotless, perfect life for us. The provision of a sacrifice to cover sin is atonement. 

Take a second and let this truth sink in. If you’ve been a Christian a while you’ve heard this before, many times. After hearing it over and over again, our wonder of this revelation can become lost, numb, and just something else you hear. Don’t let it be the case for you today. Let it simmer. Let it soak into the deepest, sacred parts of your heart.

Not only does the Shepherd know the sheep, the sheep know Him. 

Jesus has both head knowledge and heart knowledge of you. He knows the number of hairs on your head. But He doesn’t only know facts about you; He also knows your heart.

Let's turn that around, though, and look at it from the other side. Not only does He know us, He wants us to know Him in that same heart knowledge kind of way.

Not only does He give His sheep eternal life, there is no snatching the sheep out of His hand. Yes, we are going to mess up and stray away from God from time to time, but this promise still holds true. 

In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Not only is Jesus the Good Shepherd who gives and lays down His life for His people, but He is also the Sheep Gate for the people of God to access and enter into the presence of God. Jesus gives us access to the Father so that we can live in intimacy and relationship with Him. 

Perhaps you feel like you are wandering this world with no shepherd, no one to guide you or invest in you. Please know that Jesus Himself wants to be your Shepherd. And not just any shepherd—a GOOD Shepherd. A Shepherd who proved His love by laying down His life for His sheep, who wants to know you and be known, and wants to guide you through this life to eternity to live with and enjoy the presence of God.

Do you know God as your Good Shepherd?