A fun picture of me and some of Highlands best from a couple of years ago!

Let the whole world bless our God
….and loudly sing his praises.
Our lives are in his hands,
….and he keeps our feet from stumbling. Psalm 66:8-9 NLT

John 10:11-16 (<<click here to read the passage)
As I was perusing through some writings on Jesus the Good Shepherd, I tried to think of some correlation to which I could relate. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised but one group of people that came to mind were…school bus drivers!
Now we are far from perfect and there are those out there that would more closely resemble the hired hand in Jesus’ narrative. But for the most part school bus drivers do what they do for the sake of the kids. It is by no means because of the sheer joy – though there are great days when you just love what you do – because there are many days that we ask ourselves why we continue to do it. Dealing with nasty kids and ungracious parents can be challenging to say the least. It’s not because of the over-the-top monetary benefits. I make a decent wage, but I know of many with whom I work who are the sole breadwinners in their families and it is a great struggle to make ends meet. There are probably just as many negatives for every positive but in the end, we do what we do for the sake of the kids.
We go over our buses thoroughly every day to ensure that, to the best of our abilities, our buses are safe to operate. We are thoroughly trained in very extensive, all-inclusive safety protocol. We are all able to maintain that delicate balance of keeping our kids in line and keeping our eyes open for anything that could possibly interfere with that safety. If it came right down to it, most drivers would sacrifice their own lives, if it saved the life of a child.
Now, of course, Jesus far surpasses anything we could possibly do on any level. But the parallel is still there.
One website I looked at had a paragraph I thought I would share. (It is from GotQuestions.org.)
It should be understood that Jesus is “the” good shepherd, not simply “a” good shepherd, as others may be, but He is unique in character (Psalm 23; Zechariah 13:7; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25; 1 Peter 5:4). The Greek word kalos, translated “good,” describes that which is noble, wholesome, good, and beautiful, in contrast to that which is wicked, mean, foul, and unlovely. It signifies not only that which is good inwardly—character—but also that which is attractive outwardly. It is an innate goodness. Therefore, in using the phrase “the good shepherd,” Jesus is referencing His inherent goodness, His righteousness, and His beauty. As shepherd of the sheep, He is the one who protects, guides, and nurtures His flock.
Some might say we are lucky to have someone such as He watching over us, but there is no chance whatsoever in how He came to be our Good Shepherd. It was a deliberate act on God’s part and ever since humanity entered His mind, He has been all about bringing us back into the fold. Even before we chose to leave Him, everything was in place to redeem us.
My life verse sets the record straight.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4 NLT

All praise to God Almighty for the great and glorious acts He has done!

July 25th, 2021, Sun, 8:05 pm