Friday, November 6
Jesus is the Door to abundant life (John 10:1-10), which includes salvation and freedom. But it also includes Fulfillment. “…and find pasture.” Sheep don’t have complex tastes. They are only interested in grazing in a field. No sheep will ever say, “I’m sick of this green stuff. I want a filet mignon and a big slice of cheesecake.” Give ‘em grass, and they’re good to go. Jesus says, “I will give you all the grass you need. I will teach you how to be satisfied in a way this world could never satisfy you.”
Perhaps you’re thinking, “Wait a minute. I’m no sheep. I need more than grass. Frankly, that filet mignon is sounding pretty good right now. And I have other desires, too.” This is a key point: Desire—in and of itself—is not a bad thing. Are you single and wanting to get married? Do you want a better house in a safer neighborhood? Do you want a job that you actually enjoy? Do you wish to be healed of a chronic health problem? Those are all good things. Take them to the Lord. He already owns everything (see Psalm 24:1). Then trust that He will give you what you need in the right time. If He never provides it, that means you never really needed it. And what He does provide will be even better than what you desired.
But “pasture” means more than getting the things we desire. When we walk through the door of Jesus Christ, He begins to teach us to desire the truly great things, the things that really satisfy. For example, we have a personal relationship with Almighty God. We begin growing in character to be just like Jesus. We find a ministry in His Church that is custom-designed for us. We start telling other people about Him, and we get to experience the joy of watching them walk through the door, too. We are surrounded by a spiritual family of other believers who share our commitment to Christ, and it’s like no family we’ve ever experienced on this earth. Our whole identity becomes wrapped up in Jesus. He governs how we treat our spouse, how we raise our kids, how we spend our money, how we spend our time.
And that is when we become truly satisfied. That is when we experience the feeling of fullness that this world was never able to give us. But it only happens when we walk through that Door.
“O Lord, I waste so much time trying to fulfill myself on things that promise big, but don’t satisfy. Grow me in wisdom, that I would look to you for fulfillment. You never let me down. In your name I pray, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
