March 9 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

In March we read the gospel of John. John wrote his gospel so that his readers would know and believe the claims of Jesus. Those who do have everlasting life here and now.

Bible Reading:

John 10:11–18

Bible Text:

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11).

Devotional:

The Jewish people who heard Jesus say, "I am the good shepherd" thought of God as the "Shepherd of Israel" (Ps. 80:1). They loved to sing Psalm 23: "The LORD is my shepherd."

They also regarded their leaders as God's undershepherds. Jewish kings and teachers had the responsibility to maintain justice and to protect the weak and small. But God's undershepherds did not—and still do not—always do God's will. They get power hungry. They don't feed God's sheep; they fleece them.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God blasted the "shepherds of Israel" as selfish thieves. They became rich and fat at the expense of God's people. Therefore, God vowed, "I myself will search for my sheep and look after them" and "I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them ... and be their shepherd," the LORD declared (Ezek. 34).

What did God mean when he said that David would shepherd the whole flock? David had been dead four hundred years when God said this. Who then is the new King David?

"I am the good shepherd," says Jesus. This God-appointed shepherd is so good that he saves his sheep rather than himself. The good shepherd does not get rich by fleecing the sheep. He lays down his life to make them rich.

Jesus, Good Shepherd, we will never follow anyone else.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.