“I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture” – John 10:9.

Shepherds in Palestine built pens with an opening. What’s odd about these pens is that they often had no gates. Gates were not needed. The shepherd was the gate. At night, the shepherd would lie down in the opening of the gate. Nothing would come in without his approval and no sheep would ever escape. The shepherd functioned as the gate.

The safety and the wellness of the sheep was totally dependent on the shepherd.

That’s the picture Jesus paints for us.

We are his sheep. He is our Shepherd. We enter into his fold and are saved. He leads us to green pastures.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for being our Shepherd.

Jesus, our world can seem awfully dark. But you are the gate, guarding and keeping your sheep. Our life and salvation is in you. Thank you, Jesus.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” – John 8:12

The world seems awfully dark these days. Over a thousand Americans died in one day due to the Covid-19 virus in the US. Experts say things are about to get worse. Much worse.

Ever been in complete darkness? I mean pitch dark, so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face dark. It can be quite disorientating, if not frightening. It’s the unknown that is scary. You can’t see. You just hear ominous news.

Darkness.

John chapters 7-9 record some of the strongest confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities. They want to kill him.

Darkness.

It is to this world Jesus enters. It is to this world Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Darkness.

Darkness is still present. It’s just that light dispels darkness.

Death has no power over the light of the world.

Follow him. Follow Jesus. Jesus is the light of life and darkness, uncertainty, death and darkness trembles.

Now, look who is afraid.

Light dispels darkness.

Jesus is the light of our world.

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty'” – John 6:35

Never be hungry…?

Never be thirsty…?

What’s that about?

“I am the bread of life,” declares Jesus. Just as we need food to live, Jesus offers us something without which we could never fully live: meaning and purpose.

Only Jesus can provide us with meaning and purpose because he is our Creator. Only the Creator knows the meaning and purpose of our being.

Without Jesus, we will always be floundering for meaning and purpose. We will always be hungry and thirsty. There is no amount of money, pleasure, power, success, achievement that can ever satisfy.

But those who come to Jesus – will never be hungry.

Those who believe in Jesus – will never be thirsty.

Have you received and believed in Jesus? Start living. Receive and believe Jesus as Lord and Savior.