Never Perish

ByJim Stephens

Scripture: John 10:27-29 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. (John 10:27–29 NLT)

Jesus sums up the relationship his “sheep” have with him, and with his Father. Here are three faith-building truths to think on today:

  • My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. We’re his sheep. We belong to him. He has redeemed us, paid our debt, and set us free to follow him. He knows us (GraceNotes 08-30-23) by name, by nature, by personality, and he loves us just as we are! All this is from him. Here’s our part: We follow him. We recognize his voice, we listen to his voice and move toward it in faith. And we constantly lean toward obedience to his commands.
  • I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. Eternity starts now! When we begin the faith journey of listening, following, and obeying, the Eternity Clock is already ticking! I’m not interested in a debate over whether one can lose one’s salvation. That line of thinking is focused on “Do I go to heaven when I die?” “Can I start out saved and end up unsaved?” That thinking is different from anything Jesus emphasized in his teaching. Jesus said, “Know my voice, follow me, I’ve given you eternal life, so live it now!” By the way, in one of Jesus’ shepherd stories, when a sheep wandered off and got lost, the shepherd went after it and brought it home.
  • No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 NLT)

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for the privilege of being Jesus’ sheep and your child. I purpose to listen to my Shepherd and always move toward the sound of his voice. Thank you for holding me securely in your hand. I trust in your unchanging love! Amen!