Daily Devotions

Today’s Bible reading is John chapter 10

(Read the entire New Testament in 2014 by reading only one chapter each day)

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” In the Old Testament the sheep were sacrificed for the shepherd, but when Jesus came He was the Good Shepherd who was sacrificed for His sheep. The Good Shepherd agonized a grueling death on the cross in order to pay the sin debt. He fully met all the righteous requirements of Holy God to be the one sacrifice for sin forever. You see without the shedding of blood there would be no remission of sin. It required Jesus dying in our place to satisfy the sin debt. No one took His life from Him but He freely gave it up for all. He could have called ten thousand angels but instead He chose to die for you and me. “His hands were nail pierced, His side was riven, He gave His life’s blood for you and me. Oh what a Savior! Oh hallelujah!” The cross was a symbol of shame, but when Jesus was crucified it became a glorious cross! The crucified, buried, and risen Savior stands before us now and proclaims, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me.” To become a follower of Jesus we must identify with His cross, die to self and live in surrender to Him.

Prayer: “We thank You for the cross upon which the precious Savior died. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Randy J. McPheron