The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – John 10:10
The artistic works of Thomas Kinkade have become collectible and highly commercialized in the last several decades. His realistic, pastoral, idyllic subjects have been reprinted on greeting cards, jigsaw puzzles, wall art, figurines, snow globes, and much more. He described himself as a “Painter of Light,” and protected that phrase with a registered trademark. His use of darkness and light in high contrast was the essence of nearly every item he produced. Few have not seen the lamplight gleaming through the window of a cottage along a country lane on a snowy night.
In today’s verse, Jesus draws a stark contrast between Himself and the devil. He has painted Himself as the Good Shepherd, the one who offers safety, comfort, pasture, and abundance to His sheep. Earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus identified Himself as the Light of the World (John 8:12), who replaces the darkness with the light of life for those who follow Him. He also self-identifies as the Door, the Bread of Life, the Way, the Truth, the Life, and more. His very names assist as the building blocks and basis of the believer’s faith.
God does not want you to live what Henry David Thoreau called “lives of quiet desperation.” The Lord wants you to embrace the abundance offered by faith in Jesus. Theologian Martin DeHaan said to know Christ is to truly live: “And when we know His mind, feel His heart, and experience the power of His resurrection, we will truly live before we die.” Saint Augustine wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Abundant life cannot be found in the world’s systems. Only Jesus can fill the empty spaces. Turn to Him for a life filled with purpose, joy, and meaning. Only He can satisfy.
Today’s Verse: John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: John 10:1-15
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.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
