10/01 John 10:1
“I assure you, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!
MY WAY
The struggle for you and for me is to do “it” God’s way. The Lord has defined in the clearest way possible that Jesus is the only way to salvation. His way is our way. Today if you are struggling with your salvation, ask Jesus to save you. He will and He promises us that if we will ask Him He will save us. The world around us is always telling us that the way to the Father is through their way. Jesus is the only way.
10/02 John 10:2
For a shepherd enters through the gate.
WICKEDNESS
Evil and wickedness are always working overtime seeking to fool those who are saved. In addition the world is seeking to lead any and all astray as to how they can have a relationship with the Lord. Asking a group of people on the street in a random survey you will always hear folks saying they hope, they don’t know or surely they will make it to heaven. Jesus is the way and the only way. Ask Him to save you and He will. Surrender your life to Jesus.
10/03 John 10:3
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
JESUS
When you know Jesus you are not fooled by the world. He is the real deal. He lives in our heart and guides us in the way we should go. Jesus will never leave us. The more we know Him the more we love Him. The more we love Him the better equipped we are to face the opportunities presented by the challenges we face each day. Jesus is Lord.
10/04 John 10:4
After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice.
JESUS
Jesus said that we are to know Him. We grow by spending time with Jesus and by reading God’s Word the Bible. The more we know Him the quicker we are to come to grips with the challenges of our life. We don’t look to others to define what the normal Christian life is. We look to Jesus. We have been marked by God and we belong to Him and He belongs to us.
10/05 John 10:5
They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t recognize his voice.”
ALERT
Satan is always seeking whom he might devour. You and I are called to be on the alert to the schemes of the evil one. Our spiritual leaders are to teach the Word and speak the truth. Claim the promise of the Lord in being with us and spend time with Him. He Holy Spirit will lead you in the paths of righteousness.
10/06 John 10:6-9
Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them. “I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep,” he said. “All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.
GATE
Jesus is the gate to life. We come to Him and live in Him all of the days of our life and when we pass over from this life to the next we will stand before Him. Know the Lord. Know His love and watchcare. Know Him for He is worthy of all of our devotion. Listen only to Him for there is no other way.
10/07 John 10:9-10
Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
PURPOSE
What is your purpose in life? Jesus is succinct and direct. His purpose is to bring fullness to our life. Jesus is God’s everything. When we have Jesus we have what we need for life. Take your troubles, cares and woes to Jesus and He will give you wisdom, mercy, grace and strength.
10/08 John 10:11
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
SHEEP
I act like a sheep. So often I think I am doing so good and it is usually just before I plow off into a ditch. Jesus gives us life and equips us to live a Holy life. Focus your life on Him and give Him your all. He will give back to you everything you need for an abundant life.
10/09 John 10:12-13
A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will leave the sheep because they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he is merely hired and has no real concern for the sheep.
FEAR
Fear dominates the life of many people but we can live without fear. Jesus has sacrificed himself for us and lives in us to give us the strength to stand in the face of fear. We may not know that someone we are dealing with doesn’t have our best interest at heart. We do know Jesus. Jesus always loves and cares for us. We can trust Him.
10/10 John 10:14-16
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
ONE
There are no superstars in the family of God. All of us come to the Lord the same we-through Jesus Christ. My life counts. I am valuable. The plan the Lord has for my life is a good plan. Joy comes from the Lord and He makes that joy available for me.
10/11 John 10:17
“The Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may have it back again.
JESUS
Jesus accepted the suffering and ignominy of the cross that we might have life. He gave His life for me. He knew my sin. He knew my inclination to sin. He knew my stiff-necked attitude to the spiritual life and still He gave Himself for me. He did that for you too. He had faith. He lived a life of service to the Father so that you and me could become a member of the family of God.
10/12 John 10:18
No one can take my life from me. I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again. For my Father has given me this command.”
JESUS
Jesus was a volunteer. He was a part of the plan from before the beginning of anything that He would come and provide life for His creation-us. God’s love is so amazing. Christ came to show us the love of the Father in the flesh. He walked among us to show us how to live. He came to us to show us that He cares and that we are not at the mercy of the universe. Jesus loves you and me.
10/13 John 10:19-21
When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. Some of them said, “He has a demon, or he’s crazy. Why listen to a man like that?” Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
OPINION
God has an opinion of us. He knows we are poor weak and blind yet He loves us. Jesus knows that we cannot make it without Him yet He seeks us. The Lord is here and is willing to accept the responsibility of guiding us every moment of every day. Jesus is the only way. Ask Jesus to lead, guide and direct your life today.
10/14 John 10:22-25
It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah. He was at the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is what I do in the name of my Father.
MESSIAH
Jesus is the Messiah and He has come. He has come to us. He has come to bring us into the family of God. He is here. He is available for you. He will fix the problems that you are facing right now.
10/15 John 10:26-29
But you don’t believe me because you are not part of my flock. My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me.
ETERNAL
We are eternal creatures. When we come into the family of God, Jesus holds on to us and He will not let us go. Whatever you are struggling with, Jesus is struggling with it too. He knows your need and wants to meet it. Spend time with Him and let Him have all of you. Spending time with Jesus takes time. Read the Word of God. Talk with the Lord. Apply what you read and what the Lord says to you to your life. Let Him lead you to live a Holy life.
10/16 John 10:30
The Father and I are one.”
JESUS
Jesus is Lord. He is alive and powerful. He resides in our heart. Tragically too many people think they have been dealt a sub par life. He gives us His power to deal with the life we have. He equips us to be where we are. Know the Lord. Let Him have your heart and your focus and you will have what you need to live your abundant life.
10/17 John 10:31-33
Once again the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many things to help the people. For which one of these good deeds are you killing me?” They replied, “Not for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, have made yourself God.”
UNBELIEF
It is easy not to believe Jesus. We can’t see Him. The world claims to know what to do and how to do it but the world is passing away. Life is very short. Life in this world is unfair. But Jesus gives us the opportunity to claim a life that is extraordinary. Life in Christ is life indeed. In Christ we have a friend that is closer than a brother or sister. He knows all about us and still loves us. Surrender you life to Jesus and let Him give you real life in Christ.
10/18 John 10:34-36
Jesus replied, “It is written in your own law that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’ And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people, who received God’s message, were called ‘gods,’ why do you call it blasphemy when the Holy One who was sent into the world by the Father says, ‘I am the Son of God’?
WORD
The Word of God speaks to us. It is alive and able to reveal the Lord Jesus to us. When we have Jesus we have God. The Lord is with us and He is seeking to give us life in the Father. Claim the promises of God in His Word. His promises come to us in Jesus. More than 7,000 promises for the Lord to us in His Word and they are written to you and me so that we might know the Lord and how we should live.
10/19 John 10:37-42
Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. But if I do his work, believe in what I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will realize that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”
Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. He went beyond the Jordan River to stay near the place where John was first baptizing. And many followed him. “John didn’t do miracles,” they remarked to one another, “but all his predictions about this man have come true.” And many believed in him there.
JESUS
Everything that the Word of God says about Jesus is true. He loves us and is willing to save us. Ask Him to give you life. Ask Him to prepare you to live a Holy life. The Lord is alive and He is able to give you and me life.
10/20 Psalm 125:1
Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
ETERNAL
The Lord speaks truth to us. His truth is eternal. His tells us that He has come to give us eternal life. This is truth. No longer are we in chains and bondage to this world we belong to Jesus. We are secure and we live a victorious life. If you have Jesus you have victory. Claim your victory right now. Jesus is Lord.
10/21 Psalm 125:2
Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds and protects his people, both now and forever.
PROTECTION
Do not live in fear. Take any fear and every fear that you have to the Lord. Ask Him to deliver you from that fear. He will heal you. Today you will live in victory. The world cannot punish you because Jesus is Lord. He is alive and victorious.
10/22 Psalm 125:3
The wicked will not rule the godly, for then the godly might be forced to do wrong.
WICKED
The wicked look like they have everything in life. Be careful and do not envy the wicked. The Lord is in control and the fate of the wicked is in His hands. Our fate is in His hands. We are bought with a price and are precious to the Lord.
We belong to Him and He will never leave us.
10/23 Psalm 125:4-5
O LORD, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you. But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O LORD. Take them away with those who do evil. And let Israel have quietness and peace.
PEACE
Peace is a gift from the Lord. We value peace and can have peace. Ask the Lord for peace and He will give it to you. His peace equips us to live in victory. His peace enables us to see victory. His peace is an integral part of an abundant life.
10/24 Psalm 126:1-2
When the LORD restored his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the LORD has done for them.”
VICTORY
Victory is available for each one of us. We can have victory over the things that trip us up. We can have victory over our messy life. Victory is a promise that we can claim. The Lord is here. Life in Christ is victory. You are not alone. You are valuable and a valuable member of the family. We are simply passing through this world and we can pass through in victory. Give Jesus your life. Give Jesus your obedience. Jesus will give you His victory.
10/25 Psalm 126:3
Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy!
LIFE
We are blessed. We know Jesus the creator of life. We are part of the family of God. The Lord is intimately aware of every single problem we face. Thank you Lord for your many actions of grace in my life and thank you for your intervention in correcting the foolish things I do.
10/26 Psalm 126:4-6
Restore our fortunes, LORD, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.
LIFE
Maturity is a sought after quality. The problem is that many people do not realize that maturity is developed by the testing of our character. When we are put under pressure by various difficulties, we experience the activity of the Lord in our life as He changes this present difficulty to an outcome for good in our life. As we bear up under pressure His intervention creates in us maturity of faith which in turn results in our lives being renewed and blessed. Blessed be the Lord.
10/27 Psalm 127:1-2
Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.
LIFE
Our life is not our own. We have a mission and ministry fashioned by the hand of God. We are called to live for Him and as Him in this world. He is our example and He is our resolution. Spend time with Jesus not worry. Spend time appropriating God’s resources and not bemoaning your lack. We have everything we need in Jesus.
10/28 Psalm 127:3-5
Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hands. How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
GIFT
You may or may not have children. Your Father, God, is a gift giver. It makes the Lord happy to give gifts. The Lord is seeking to give you gifts this very moment. It may be the gift of life in Christ if you have never accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. It may be a gift of joy, or peace, or comfort or any one of a multitude of gifts that the Lord gives us so that we can live an abundant life. What gift does the Father have for your today?
10/29 Psalm 128:1
How happy are those who fear the LORD all who follow his ways!
FEAR
In this particular instance, fear of the Lord literally means to respect, recognize, be aware of and to treat with seriousness. If we take the Lord seriously we will follow His ways. If we indeed fear Him we will serve Him. The result of a close relationship is that we will appropriate an abundant life. Fearing God will give us the strength that will enable us stand firm in the face of catastrophe and to not fear mankind.
10/30 Psalm 128:2-3
You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How happy you will be! How rich your life! Your wife will be like a fruitful vine, flourishing within your home. And look at all those children! There they sit around your table as vigorous and healthy as young olive trees.
REJOICE
Our fear of God, service as His child, will create in us a joy and peace that is beyond our ability to produce. We will recognize our value. We will appropriate His strength. Our hope will be renewed and life will be exciting and profitable. We will be able to help others and encourage them.
10/31 Psalm 128:4-6
That is the LORD’s reward for those who fear him. May the LORD continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live. May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. And may Israel have quietness and peace.
ABUNDANCE
Abundance is never created by money. Abundance is created by a close relationship with the Lord. Abundance equips us to function as His children and stand in the face of any and all adversity. When we walk with the Lord we are able to walk through the valley of the shadow of death without fear or failure.
