"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." — John 10:11

Shepherds in Jesus' day guarded sheep with their lives — but even the best hired man, Jesus says, runs when the wolf comes, because the sheep are not his. The Good Shepherd does the opposite: He runs toward the wolf. And notice, He does not say the shepherd *risks* his life, or *would* lay it down. He lays it down — deliberately, voluntarily, as the plan. Your place in the flock does not rest on how tightly you hold onto Him; it rests on the price He paid to hold onto you. If you feel like the one wandering sheep today, hear this: the Shepherd has already come after you at the cost of His own life. He is not waiting for you to find your way back. He knows your name, and He is not letting go.

🎶 Hear it sung: The Good Shepherd — https://push.fm/fl/3g00pnnr · More devotions and songs at https://epic316music.com