Scripture:
John 10:10
Journal: How is your joy these days? What about your faith? And how about your peace? Is there a “thief” trying to steal and kill
and destroy them? Is he succeeding? How will you fight against him? How will you open yourself up to the abundant
life and love the Good Shepherd wants for you instead?
Reflection: A successful thief doesn’t draw
attention to himself. If he did, he
would be identified and apprehended.
That’s why he prefers to live in the shadows and to come when we are
asleep or preoccupied. He loves to sneak
in the back door; a frontal assault is not usually his most effective means of
accomplishing his task. If he can steal
and kill and destroy without our even knowing it, so much the better. Then he can come and go as he pleases. He can even convince us that it is we who are
at fault, we who have somehow lost or misplaced that which is most valuable to
us.
Therefore, it is up to us to be alert and to pay attention, not only to
our doors and windows, but also to the things we hold most dear. Because this thief, in particular, has come
to steal our joy, to kill our faith, and to destroy our peace. Thus, if our joy, or our faith, or our peace
has gone missing, it is likely a result of his doings. And, thus, we need to guard against his
attacks.
Luckily, we are not on our own in this battle, the Good Shepherd is with
us. He will defend us and fight for us
and provide for us, for he has come that we might have life in abundance. He longs for us to follow him and to listen
to his voice, rather than being led astray by the voice of the thief or the
stranger. For only his voice will lead
us where our hearts most deeply long to go.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: Lord Jesus,
thank you that you came to give us abundant life, and if we are not
experiencing that abundance, it is likely the result of the thief in our
midst. For he has come only to steal and
kill and destroy. Help us to be aware of
his strategies and attentive to his attacks, so that we might never allow him
to steal our joy, kill our faith, or destroy our peace. Amen.
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