I have been reading and receiving the same verses for about a week now, and last night I realized that God must be trying to tell me something, but I’m slow sometimes. Luckily God is really patient and just carries on trying to get through to me. These are the verses:
John 10:27 – 29, “ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”
This piece tells me a lot. Firstly, that we are supposed to hear God’s voice. It says that if we belong to Jesus, we will hear His voice. There are many ways to hear His voice the main one being through reading the Bible. God speaks to us through the Bible and the more we read it the more we hear what He’s telling us to do. We can also hear through other people. Sometimes someone just has to say a word and we know that that word is from God. People with the gift of prophecy could also tell us what God is saying to us. Then there are dreams and visions. We have a dream which is so utterly clear that when we wake up we don’t forget it. Praying about it will usually give us the meaning. A vision would be a picture in our minds about what we should be doing. And we can also hear God’s voice. Normally not a loud booming voice that everyone can hear, but a small still voice in our spirit that we learn to identify and rely on.
Next Jesus is saying that His sheep follow Him. In other words Jesus leads the way, He goes on before us. Think of it this way, while we are doing what we should be doing, things that are in God’s will, then wherever we go, Jesus has been there already. Whatever we do, He has been there.
Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
We have eternal life, and nobody can take that away from us. It’s not like a piece of real estate that can be bought and sold. My eternal life is mine and your eternal life is yours. Jesus redeemed each one of us separately with His blood. He died for everyone who accepts Him as Savior and He wants a relationship with each one. A relationship isn’t a corporate thing, it’s very personal.
Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in mu presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
John 10:29 in the Passion translation says, “My Father, who has given them to me as his gift, is the mightiest of all, and no one has the power to snatch them from my Father’s care.”
I just love the way this translation states it. Believers have been given as a gift by God to Jesus. It is so profound to think of ourselves as gifts. In the dictionary the word ‘gift’ is described as follows, “a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present.” A gift is often a beautifully wrapped package, and normally the recipient doesn’t know what is inside the package. It is a thing of mystery and unlimited potential. A gift is really exciting to the giver as well as the recipient. I know that I like giving the kind of gift that I would like to receive. We normally take trouble in choosing a gift. That must be how God feels about us when He chose us as gifts to Jesus. Just imagine yourself as being so special that you have been chosen by God to be given to Jesus as a gift. And all you did was love Jesus and ask Him to come into your heart. Next time you think that God has forgotten you, next time you think you’re utterly useless, next time you think you’re a failure, just remember the enemy is putting these thoughts into your head. It’s your turn to remind him that you are God’s gift to Jesus, you hear His voice, He goes before you, and no-one can rip your out of His hand.
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