Abundant life in the midst of Pain. An encouragement to the hurting from John 10

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

                                --John 10:10

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I'm not sure where this will find you today, or what your world looks like.  

I'm not sure how your heart is right now; wrestling, celebrating, asking, hoping, grieving, wanting.  

I am sure though, that you want a good life.  A full life.  A satisfying life.  A life of meaning and a direction in life that fulfills you.  Even if you are at a point where you are angry  and bitter, I'll bet that it comes from life letting you down either by someone else's choices, your choices, or from living in a broken world.

I think that the child's comments sum it up clearly, "That's not fair!"

There is something in us that tells us that life was not meant to be broken, full of sadness, and dying.

We weren't meant to be disconnected, lonely, and wondering why.

My prayer is that this will encourage you in the midst of your pain.   

                                                                         --Eric

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C.S. Lewis once said,

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1180-pain-insists-upon-being-attended-to-god-whispers-to-us 

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A friend of mine was dealing with an issue with his shoulder.  He didn't want to have surgery, so he tried a number of different alternatives to try and bring healing.  I remember the day he told me that he finally decided to have surgery; when I asked what caused him to make this choice he said, "I can't sleep.  The pain keeps me up at night, and I need to deal with this."

I don't like pain, but it certainly demands my attention.  I wish it wasn't there, and I look forward to the day that it isn't a part of my life, but until then, how might God redeem this pain in my life?

Pain does get our attention.    Regardless of the reason or the cause, pain commands our full and undivided attention.

So, you have my attention, what now?

 

God led me to John 10 (the whole text is at the bottom of the article) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10&version=ESV                  and I think that there are a number of things that God says to  us in this passage that I believe can speak to us in the midst of our pain and encourage us.


1.)   "The Thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy."  

Sin causes pain.  Whether it's our sin, the sin of others, the effects of sin and how that impacts us as we live in this broken world.  The Thief, the enemy of God, lies to us about who God is and what God is doing, and is trying to convince us that not only is sin fun, but it is good for us.  It isn't.  The Thief never tells us about the consequences for our choices.

The Thief lies to us about who God is.  Just because we have pain, doesn't mean that God doesn't love us, has quit on us, or has forgotten us.  

The Thief wants to steal from us, kill us, and destroy us--this is how he uses pain.

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

The Good Shepherd chose to lay down His life, and step into our pain, and take on pain in His life too.  He laid down His life.  Why?

Why would Jesus come, and not only step into our pain, but take on such pain in His own life, willingly?  

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

Because Jesus is good.  In the midst of your struggles, know that God may not tell you why, or what is necessarily coming next, but what He does tell us is wonderful.  I AM Good.  We can find rest in His goodness.

2.2)   "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."

Jesus loves us, and cares about us, and did so to protect and rescue us.  I won't run away, I'll walk with you, and...

2.3)   "and I lay down my life for the sheep."

Jesus knows how important the pain in your life is right now.  Yet, He knows something else too:  There is a deeper problem that needs to be dealt with.  The pain of our broken relationship with God.  Jesus dealt with that on the cross by dying in our place, and conquering the Thief, Sin, Death, and bearing our punishment to make us right with God.  Remember,

   "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?...[Nothing]will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8: 32-39  

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8: 26, 27

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208&version=ESV

 God leans in to us, with us in the midst of the pain, and He still loves us very much.

2.4)   "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again."

Jesus has come to rescue us, and to invite us to allow Him to lead our lives, be adopted into the family of God, and to be apart of His rescue plan--and God can take the pain we are experiencing and even, even redeem it for His glory too.

" For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."  Romans 8: 18-25

 And, 

 " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.  If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.  Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort."  
         --2 Corinthians 1:3-7
 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%201&version=ESV

2.5)   "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

And finally, we have a great hope in Christ!  One day, when He comes back to take us to be with Him forever the Bible says,

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Revelation 21: 3-4

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2021&version=ESV

Jesus is going to un-do all the broken things of this sinful world, as if they were not broken to begin with.  Like the Bible says,

 
"Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort."  1 Corinthians 1:7

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.                                                         1 Thessalonians 5:11

 

May the Good Shepherd remind you of these truths today, and fill you up to overflowing with His abundant life,  and may God use you as an encouragement to someone else as you are used by God to take next steps with Jesus, Together.  

In Jesus name I pray, Amen! 

 

John 10

I Am the Good Shepherd

10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 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. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10&version=ESV 

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