Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

October 5
Sunday


PINK SHEEP

READ:
John 10:7-18
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
By this all will know
that you are My
disciples, if you have
love for one another.
__John 13:35
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

While traveling on a road from Glasgow to Edinburgh, Scotland, I was enjoying the beautiful, pastoral countryside when a rather humorous sight captured my attention. There, on a small hilltop, was a rather large flock of pink sheep.

I know that sheep owners mark their animals with dots of spray paint to identify them__but these sheep really stood out. The owner had fully covered every animal with pink coloring. Everyone knew who those sheep belonged to.

Scripture calls followers of Christ sheep, and they too have a unique identifying mark. What is the "pink coloring" in a Christ-followers' life? How can someone be identified as Jesus' own?

In the gospel of John, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, told us what that identifier is: love. "Love one another; as I have loved you....by this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).

In words and deeds, a believer should show love to all those around. "Beloved," John writes, "if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11). A Christian's love for others should be as obvious as pink wool on a flock of Scottish sheep. __Dave Branon

``````````````````Dear Lord, remind me that this life is not about me``````````````````````
`````````````````and my needs, but about others and how You love can````````````````````
`````````````````shine through me to them. May Christlike love be my````````````````````
````````````````````````````distinguishing characteristic.``````````````````````````````
________________________________________________________________________________________________
As followers of Christ,
our love should make us stand out in a crowd.

*****************************Today's Bible Reading __ John 10:7-18***************************

7 Then Jesus said to them
again, "Most assuredly, I
say to you, I am the door of
the sheep. 8 All who ever
came before Me are thieves
and robbers, but the sheep
did not hear them. 9 I am the
door. If anyone enters by
Me, he will be saved, and
will go in and out and find
pasture. 10 The thief does
not come except to steal,
and to kill, and to destroy. I
have come that they may
have life, and that they may
have it more abundantly.

11 "I am the good shepherd.
Th good shepherd gives
His life for the sheep. 12 But
a hireling, he who is not
the shepherd, one who does
not own the sheep, sees the
wolf coming and leaves
the sheep and flees; and
the wolf catches the sheep
and scatters them. 13 The
hireling flees because he is
a hireling and does not care
about the sheep. 14 I am the
good shepherd; and I know
My sheep, and am known
by My own. 15 As the Father
knows Me, even so I know
the Father; and I lay down
My life for the sheep. 16 And
other sheep I have which
are not of this fold; them
also I must bring, and they
will hear my voice; and
there will be one flock and
one shepherd.

17 "Therefore My Father
loves Me, because I lay
down My life that I may
take it again. 18 No one
takes it from Me, but I lay it
down of Myself. I have
power to lay it down, and I
have power to take it again.
This command I have
received from My Father."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Attention is often given to the comparison between the believer and
sheep. Today's text focuses on Jesus as the Shepherd and on what He
does for the sheep. He loves His sheep so much that He willingly
died to save us, and now we are to love one another.