Fed and Led part 2
The good Shepherd feeds us and leads us. But look at WHERE He leads us to: "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17). He leads us to the fountain of living water. But wait. According to Jesus, in John 7:38, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." So WE are the fountain that He leads us to. He leads us to... ourselves. Our TRUE selves. And if it comes from believing on Him, that means He leads us not by demanding that we follow, but by giving us something (Himself, love) to believe in! This happened on the cross, 2,00 years ago. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). And it happens by little and little. Day by day. As the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of Truth--leads and guides us into all truth. The truth about who we are. Who we are in Christ, according to who Christ is in us. The truth about who God is--not an angry taskmaster, but a loving heavenly Father--and the truth about who we are--His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. And while yesterday we focused on meeting needs in the natural... physically feeding people who have empty bellies... what it means to be Spiritual fed is not someone telling you what's wrong with you and demanding you change, but someone telling you what's RIGHT with you and then living out of that approval and love. The love of a Father always equips and empowers a Son. And, again, that's where (and how) the Shepherd leads us. Psalm 23:2 says, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." I want to hit a few key points here. Number 1. He MAKES us lie down. Because sometimes the grass SEEMS greener on the other side, even when we're right where we're supposed to be. Or sometimes, like Saul when he was being converted to Paul, we need to get knocked off our donkey and blinded by the light. Jonah had an experience where it didn't much matter what HE wanted to do. My pastor says it like this, "Some people are called, and some are cornered." Sometimes we can avoid a lot of pain and suffering if we don't resist what God has in store for us. If we be still and know that He is God. If we trust in Him (which is what it means to have faith in Him), and trust in His plan. The good Shepherd lays His life down for the sheep, and He always knows exactly where the sheep should be. And when they should be there. Because the good Shepherd loves the sheep. He takes care of them. He leads them beside the still waters, but then the wind blows and stirs those waters up. What's inside comes out. So that, just as He fed and led us, we can feed and lead each other. But that's for tomorrow, and, as always, I'm trying my best not to get ahead of myself. For today it's just so important that we look at the Lamb, and we see everything we need in Him. We are self-sufficient when we are completely sufficient in Him. When we come to Daddy with every need, and want, and desire. When we go to the source, instead of looking for love in all the wrong places. Because the Lamb is in the midst of the throne. The throne of grace. We find grace in His eyes as He leads us and feds us. And grace works by love!