READ: John 10 – Notice, while you read, the closeness of relationship that is described between Jesus and the Father (in verses 2-5) and between Jesus and the sheep (in verses 14-18).
THINK: Read verses 14-18 again aloud, as if he were explaining this to you personally. Notice that the word know occurs five times. Jesus knows his sheep; they know Jesus. The Father knows Jesus; Jesus knows the Father.
1. What do you make of the centrality of knowing one another?
2. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does the following for the sheep. Which of these do you most need for Jesus to do for you today?
– call his own sheep by name
– lead them out
– know his own sheep
– put the sheep before himself, sacrificing himself, if necessary
– gather and bring other sheep
3. The sheep recognize Jesus’ voice and respond by following him and knowing him. How do you need to respond to Jesus today?
4. How are you growing in your capacity to recognize his voice, perhaps through your experiences in prayer and reading the Bible?
PRAY: Talk to Jesus about what you need from him. Especially talk about your capacity to recognize his voice. Ask for help with this.
LIVE: Sit quietly before God and practice alert waiting. Receive the assurance that such practice will help you be more alert to Jesus’ voice when you hear it.
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