abundant

This week we begin worship with:

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

The context of this verse is the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18).  Into that quiet and tranquil scene comes a thief, whose goals are the theft of as many sheep as possible, the death of the shepherd, and the destruction of the fold in which they are protected. 

Our verse also gives the goal of the Good Shepherd.  That of providing a place in which the lives of the sheep would not only be protected, but abundant (perissos)!  This is not average.  It is extraordinary, above the mark, and record setting.

But our verse does not give how this will be done.  Are we to win the lottery, have a successful career, a loving family, or worship at a vibrant church?  Yes, those would be nice, but our ticket might not be a winner, our career might not end on a positive note, not every one in our family might love each other, and our church might be full of strife. None of these are the abundance of this verse.

If we went out to find pasture under any hired hand, our life would be filled with the fear of abandonment.

John 10:12-13

He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Fear is the natural state of a sheep.  This is why they herd.  This is why they instinctively follow other sheep . . . for protection.

We have an abundant life for one reason:

John 10:11

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Our Good Shepherd has laid down His life for us, His sheep.  He has defeated the thief.  We need never fear.  That is abundance.

Ashamed

 This week we start our worship with:

Philippians 1:18b-20 

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

This passage declares that “now as always Christ will be honored”.  That will happen no matter what.  And because that is his hope, Paul could then confidently say “I will not be at all ashamed”, even if death is his “deliverance”.

The prior verse to which this passage was saying “Yes”, expands Thai though to include the means:

Philippians 1:18a

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

So as you walk into today, by whatever means or destination, if your hope is aligned with the honor of Jesus Christ you will not be ashamed. 

Despise

This week we begin worship with:

Psalm 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

The first two words of this verse in Hebrew are a construct (zeḇaḥ ĕlōhîm). The equivalent in English would be a hyphen to convey connection rather than possession. “God-sacrifices” rather than “sacrifices of God” (ESV) or “My Sacrifice” (NIV).  They are what would be appropriate to give over and devote to God.

The second two words are the construct “broken-spirit” (šāḇar rûaḥ) and, yes, broken means broken and suitable to be discarded.  The word “contrite” does not mean voluntarily humble.  It means crushed under the weight of one’s guilt (dāḵâ).

And the last word “despise” (bāzâ) is what Cain thought of his birthright (Genesis 25:34), when he valued an immediate serving of soup more than his future inheritance. 

So, the Psalmist wants us to know that when we approach God with our worst-self and give that heap of failures and short-comings to Him, we are acceptable.  Not “acceptable” meaning a barely passing grade, but rather as a sacrifice worthy to be given to the Almighty God.

Roar

This week we begin worship with:

Psalm 104:21-22

The young lions roar for their prey,

    seeking their food from God.

When the sun rises, they steal away

    and lie down in their dens.

This verse comes from a Psalm that speaks of the rhythms of life and their Creator.   And more than simply the Creator, our supplier:

Psalm 104:27

These all look to you,

    to give them their food in due season.

When the lion roars or when we commute to work we receive not from our own efforts but from God's hand.

Psalm 104:23

Man goes out to his work

    and to his labor until the evening.

So as you start this day, and every day, roar!