Sunday 30 Apr 2023

April 30: John 10:1-10

Key Verse: John 10:5
But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognise a stranger’s voice.

Devotion:
One of the difficult questions in life we always have to face is “are they telling me the truth?” Sometimes it is all too easy to go along with what others are saying because it is easier to do that rather than to find out what should be happening; and when we find we have gone far down that road, it is very difficult to leave that path and go back to the truth. This happens in all walks of life and is certainly not limited to people who are following – sometimes it is the leaders who get it wrong!

Jesus was talking to the Pharisees here because He knew where they were headed if they continued on with the ways they were living. He did not want them to be left out of the kingdom of heaven just because they got something wrong a long time ago. When Jesus went to the cross it was not just for the things people were doing wrong there and then, it was for all mankind's sins!

It does take time to get back to the truth when you wander away from it, and it is not always a clear path. But the one thing we do have now is our bibles to guide and direct us. Imagine wandering off into a jungle and getting lost. It is going to be very hard to see where you are going and find out which direction you are going because there is so much undergrowth around you. But if you had a still small voice inside (like a compass) telling you which direction to go it would be a lot easier – even when you do not know exactly where you are!

Our bibles may seem a bit like a compass with no indications as to which way is north and which is south, but it does not take too long to figure out the truth from them when we start reading. It is not because we have to blindly follow it, but because it will open up more truths for us to follow...

Points to Ponder:
Do you feel lost at times?

Will you listen to God’s voice through your bible?