A New Devotion - Believing What We Hear

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. It's based on the passage below. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

John 10:7-18 [Contemporary English Version]

Jesus said:

I tell you for certain that I am the gate for the sheep. Everyone who came before me was a thief or a robber, and the sheep did not listen to any of them. I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture.

A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully. I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don't own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. Hired workers run away because they don't care about the sheep.

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must also bring them together, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.

The Father loves me, because I give up my life, so I may receive it back again. No one takes my life from me. I give it up willingly! I have the power to give it up and the power to receive it back again, just as my Father commanded me to do.

Believing What We Hear

Years ago, I made a decision to believe what people told me about their experiences. Now let me be clear; I’m not saying that I accept as fact everything I hear nor that I’ll shape my beliefs and behaviors based solely on what I’m told. Still, when it comes to experiences, I’m going to trust that people are sharing what they believe happened to them. For example, I once had a woman tell me that she believed her house was haunted and another who thought she’d received a vision of heaven. And even though I’ve never experienced ghosts myself and the only glimpse of the future I’ve received has come from the Bible, I decided to trust that they sincerely believed what they said; therefore, I wasn’t going to enter a debate in order to show that they were wrong.

And I’ll tell you, I mention this because of the passage I just read. You see, after outlining the difference between himself as a good shepherd who cares for his flock and a thief or a hired worker who doesn’t, Jesus said this: 

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must also bring them together, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd. [John 10:14-16, CEV]

In other words, there will be people who are outside what might be defined at his flock who will hear his voice.

And I think that’s extremely important for us to remember as we go about our living in the world, especially as we deal with folks who just might be included in this promise. You see, I think it’s very easy for us to define what should be the flock ourselves and to base that definition on our own assumptions that we project onto God. And so, when we hear experiences that don’t fit into what we assume, we often reject them as being either fanciful or just plain wrong. You see, even though Jesus said it would happen, we choose to deny it, and as a result, we miss the opportunity to learn from and to enjoy the company of some men and women who are different from us. And for that reason, maybe we should accept the words of Jesus, listen to what others have to say about their relationship with God and, as it relates to their experiences, believe what we hear.