The Holy Spirit brings us assurance as we meditate on the love Jesus shows for sinners. I’m not referring to his former demonstration of love, which he showed by dying in our place, but to his perpetual love in there here and now. Jesus is not only our Lord and Savior but also our faithful Good Shepherd. Focusing on this reality will bring you peace and security in your most anxious moments.
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14-15)
Jesus’s description of himself in this passage highlights the shepherding care that he provides to those who dwell in his pasture. From this chapter of John emerge four assurances.
1.) The Good Shepherd laid down his life for you. When Jesus said, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (v. 11), his death was still in the future—he would lay down his life for them. But that is done now. His sin-bearing work is complete. Sin has been punished. Your debt has already been paid in full (see Heb. 9:27-28.) By consciously remembering this ultimate demonstration of love, you will further assure your heart of Jesus’s ongoing love and care today…and every day…into eternity.
2.) The Good Shepherd will not leave you. Jesus is unlike others. “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd…sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees” (John 10:12). Your faithful Shepherd stays by your side when the wolves attack. He will never abandon you (see Heb. 13:5). He will never desert you or leave you to the greatest enemy of your soul—Satan.
3.) The Good Shepherd is committed to you. The hired hand “cares nothing for the sheep” (John 10:13). The hireling flees because he is self-concerned, but Jesus demonstrates his love by leading you with this staff and training you with his rod. Christ’s commitment to his sheep is found not in empty words but in deep promises.
4.) The Good Shepherd knows you, in relationship, just as he knows the Father in relationship. Jesus knows those who are his own, and those who are his own know him. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (vv. 14-15). Christ’s relationship with his Father is the deepest and most intimate relationship in the entire universe. Jesus likens his relationship with you to his relationship with the Father. Encouraging, isn’t it? Growing in Christ is more than gaining Bible knowledge. It includes developing a closeness with your Shepherd, as you listen to his Word and follow him by faith.
As your worries bombard your heart and mind, don’t give in to them. Instead, turn to Jesus. Your Good Shepherd awaits. He loves and cares for those who repent and who believe in his saving name (see Acts 4:12). As you deliberately set your anxious mind on these truths, you will find your heart resting securely in his love.
*This post contains an excerpt from Paul’s devotional, Anxiety: Knowing God’s Peace, and has been published with permission from P&R Publishing.
