December 31
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THE GOOD SHEPHERD
A poem by ILMA
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep
All who came before me were thieves and robbers
Yet, the true sheep, unlike the others, did not listen to them
Yes, I am the gate and those who come in through me will be saved.
The true sheep will come and go freely and will find good pastures
While the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy
A good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep and does not leave his flock
A hired hand runs when he sees a wolf coming and abandons the herd.
Because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd
And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock
The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money
He couldn’t care less and doesn’t really look after about the sheep.
“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
So, I sacrifice my life for the sheep and I have other sheep, too,
They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
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MEMORY VERSE
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so, the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. – John 10:11
Read: John 10:7-14
This chapter of John’s letter gives us an illustration of how Jesus cares for the sheep. He tells his listeners the importance of having a shepherd who cares for his flock and compares it to hired hands, who only does it for money.
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REFLECTION
• Do you recognize the good shepherd from the bad one?
• Why is it important for us Christians to be able to protect ourselves from evil?
Tag Archives: shepherd
WHEN THERE’S NO SHEPHERD Poem Devotional
February 20
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Household gods give worthless advice, fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce falsehoods that give no comfort. So my people are wandering like lost sheep, they are attacked because they have no shepherd. – Zechariah 10:2(NLT)
WHEN THERE’S NO SHEPHERD
A poem and essay by ILMA
When there is no one leading a flock
It is easy to get lost and be stuck
Like a sheep without a shepherd
We can become very helpless.
If one ever goes astray from God’s fold
He will look for him and leave them all
When you feel lost and start wandering
Your beloved Jesus will always be rescuing.
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Hundreds of sheep followed their leader off a cliff in eastern Turkey, plunging to their deaths this week while shepherds looked on in dismay. Four hundred sheep fell 15 metres to their deaths in a ravine in Van province near Iran but broke the fall of another 1,100 animals who survived. Shepherds from a nearby village neglected the flock while eating breakfast, leaving the sheep to roam free. The loss to local farmers was estimated at $74,000. One sheep wandered off a cliff and 1,499 others just followed along. This shows how dumb sheep are. Another trait they have is that they are directionless. This is why they need a shepherd because they have no clue where they are going. The bible says that when we don’t have a shepherd to watch us, we will stray.
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PRAYER
Lord, let me never lose focus on you shepherding me.
REFLECTION
What happens to believers who have no one to lead them?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com
LIKE STRAY SHEEP Poem Devotional
August 24________________________________________
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. – Isaiah 53:6 (NLT)
LIKE STRAY SHEEP
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you don’t abide and go your own way
You are like a sheep who has strayed
Some believers do not follow God’s will
No wonder they cannot be still.
When we leave the path of righteousness
We open ourselves to covetousness
Like stray sheep, we need a shepherd
God gave his only Son so we can be herded.
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Have you ever seen how sheep behave when they get lost? It was funny to watch the family movie “Babe.” The hero of the movie was a pig who acted like a dog and was trained to shepherd the sheep. When a sheep is lost, it looks so vulnerable and confused. It reminded me how we people behave when we do not have someone to lead us and care for us.
The bible tells us how believers are like stray sheep. We are so vulnerable to the dangers around us in this world, just like the sheep are to the wolves and other predators. When we leave the path that God wants us to take and go on our own, we become susceptible to get lost and fall into danger. I God is faithful to save all the lost sheep through Christ.
PRAYER
Lord, never let me stray.
REFLECTION
Relate a time when you strayed from God and its consequences.________________________________________
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com