You Are Known

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep." (John 10: 14 - 15 NLT)

On this day when people all around the world celebrate" love" in various forms and in various ways, this verse was the most beautiful, loving thing I read all day!

Think about it ... What more beautiful, pure level of love is there than to truly know someone, and be known by them??!! Nothing else comes close - not romance, not passion, not kindness, not even chocolates (although all of these things matter, of course ... especially chocolates!!). You can have all of these things in a relationship, and still be almost strangers to one another, if you don't take the time and make the effort to know the other person ... And how tragic would that be? You could be emotionally dying in a seemingly perfect relationship, because there's no true intimacy where there's no depth.

But, into a culture that measures "relationships" in numbers of "likes" and "followers", but there's no need for depth or engagement with one another, Jesus says something powerful and deeply moving.

He says: "You are known."

If you are feeling lonely, or isolated, or uncertain, or disappointed today, here the words of the Shepherd as He speaks to your heart, and says, "I made you. I know you. I choose you. I accept you. I love you."

And can I encourage you today to take Him up on the invitation offered to us all in the second part of verse 14? He says, "Me sheep know Me."

Don't be "follower" of Christ in name only. Don't take your relationship or your time spent with Him lightly. Don't rush past Him on your way out the door each morning because you don't have time to pray, or brush Him off in the evening because you're too tired to spend time in the Word.

Building a relationship of intimacy and trust takes both quality and quantity time - and spending time with the Shepherd is an investment we can't afford not to make!!