Truth Is Revealed by Its Results
Devotions this week are based on Week 4 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
Jesus gives one final and clear distinction. Every voice leads somewhere. Over time, its results become clear.
The voice of the thief leads to destruction. It may not be immediate, but it is inevitable. What begins as something small grows into something harmful. The voice portrays the activity as something fun or beneficial, cool or engaging, but when our heart is trapped by it, the outcome is destruction.
The Apostle Paul put it this way in Galatians 5:19-21: The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
These are not signs of life. They are signs of decay.
In contrast, the voice of Jesus leads to life. Not just existence, but fullness. The voice of Jesus that affects our heart is a voice that leads to blessing, not destruction. Again the Apostle Paul speaks to the result of the Spirit at work which stands in stark contrast to the work of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
These are the marks of a life shaped by the voice of the Good Shepherd.
Make no mistake, the voice you follow will shape the life you experience.
This does not mean life will be easy. But it will be full in the ways that matter most. It will be full of peace, joy, forgiveness, grace, and eternal hope.
To listen to Him is to move in the direction of the full life Jesus promises to give!
Reflect: What kind of fruit is growing in my life right now? What voice have I been following to produce that?
Prayer: Jesus, lead me into the life You promise. Help me follow Your voice and trust that it leads to what is truly good. Amen.
The Shepherd Knows, Calls, and Leads
Devotions this week are based on Week 4 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
John 10:2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
In contrast to the stranger, Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14).
The Shepherd knows His sheep. This is personal. He sees you fully. He knows your strengths, your struggles, your fears, and your failures. And still, He calls you His own.
This voice sounds different. It says, you are mine.
Jesus also calls His sheep. “Follow me,” Notice the tone. It is not pressure. It is invitation.
You are not forced. You are invited.
Then He leads. “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
The Shepherd does not stand at a distance and give directions. He goes ahead. He leads from the front.
Think about walking through a dark place with someone who has a light. You do not need to see everything ahead. You just need to stay close to the one who can see.
That is what following Jesus looks like.
Psalm 23 gives us this same picture. The Lord leads beside still waters and restores the soul. His leadership brings life, not pressure.
You do not need to have the whole path figured out. Just take the next step with Him.
Reflect: Where is Jesus inviting me to follow Him right now? Am I resisting His leading or trusting it?
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for knowing me and calling me. Help me trust Your leading, even when I cannot see the whole path. Amen.
The Stranger Deceives and Steals the Sheep!
Devotions this week are based on Week 4 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
John 10:5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
Have you ever hung up on someone because you didn’t recognize the voice of the person on the other end of the line? We live in an era that one must be wary of scammers. They call pretending you have jury duty and you need to confirm your credentials. They call claiming there was fraudulent activity on your bank card. They call just to try to sell you a time share.
When you recognize the voice is one of a stranger and you sense danger, you hang up. You “run” away.
Why such a strong reaction? Because the stranger’s voice is not just different. It is dangerous.
This is what Jesus is teaching spiritually. The stranger’s voice is different and dangerous!
It deceives. It steals.
Deception rarely sounds wrong at first. It often sounds appealing. It promises something good. This will make you happy. This will fix what is missing.
Deception can also look like the truth…which makes it even more dangerous. The Apostle Paul knew that Satan isn’t blatant…he’s deceptive. He works through people who seem to preach good things, but are deceptive. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Like advertising, the messaging of the stranger promises satisfaction. It tells you that one more purchase or one more experience will finally fill the gap. But the satisfaction never lasts. Spiritually, the same thing happens. We chase what promises life, only to find it empty. “If you try harder, God will bless you more.” “If you just live more Christian you will have less hardship.” “If you really have faith, you would not be sick.” The list goes on, but the deception is real.
And then comes the stealing.
Jesus says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” It may begin small, but over time it takes more than it gives.
The message of the stranger steals peace. It steals clarity. It steals joy. So simply ask yourself, “Is this message giving me more peace or more anxiety? More clarity or more confusion? More joy or more discontent?”
The sheep who know the shepherd do something important. They run from the stranger. They do not stay to evaluate or experiment. They recognize and move away.
When you recognize that voice, do not linger. Turn back to Jesus.
Reflect: What voice in my life is promising satisfaction but leaving me empty? What would it look like to turn away from it?
Prayer: Jesus, give me discernment to recognize deception. Help me turn quickly from what steals life and return to You. Amen.
The Stranger Uses the Sheep
Devotions this week are based on Week 4 How Would You Answer (WATCH HERE)
Ezekiel 34:7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
As Jesus teaches about himself as the Good Shepherd, he stands in contrast to all the bad shepherds that preceded him. Kings and priests in the nation of Israel were entrusted with the safety and spiritual care of the people. But yet, these individuals in these positions were not often using the position to care for and lead the sheep, but rather to use them for their own purposes.
The Lord sent Ezekiel to confront them and remove them for their sinful activity.
By the time Jesus arrived on the scene hundreds of years later, the condition wasn’t much different. The spiritual shepherds were not leading people closer to Jesus as the Messiah, but rather deeper into the deception that their personal righteousness would earn them a spot in heaven. They sounded good, but it was not the voice of the Good Shepherd.
So Jesus gave the warning: Not every voice comes from the Good Shepherd. “The one who does not enter by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).
That same stranger voice still exists today. It sounds like this. You are what you produce. You are what you achieve.
It shows up in the pressure to perform, to prove, to measure your worth by success. It tells you that your value rises and falls with your output.
At first, it can feel motivating. It pushes you to work harder and do more. But over time, it becomes exhausting. You are never enough because there is always more to prove.
Jesus offers something completely different. He does not use the sheep. He knows them.
When Jesus calls His sheep by name, He is not looking at what they produce. He is calling them personally. Their identity comes from belonging, not performing.
Think about a job where your value is tied only to results. If you perform well, you are praised. If you fail, you are forgotten. Now contrast that with a relationship where you are known and valued regardless of performance. One uses you. The other loves you.
That is the difference between the stranger and the Shepherd. Our relationship with God is not built on what we achieve, but on what Christ has done.
Reflect: Where am I listening to a voice that tells me I must prove my worth? How does Jesus’ voice speak differently to me?
Prayer: Jesus, free me from the need to prove myself. Help me rest in the truth that I am known and loved by You. Amen.