The LORD God is the Creator of the ends of the earth. He has established laws in nature which govern all the processes of life–planting, growth, cultivation and harvest. These principles give us insight on how to conduct our lives, families, churches, and societies (to continue reading this essay, click on image above).
Living Abundantly: The Overflowing Harvest, John 10:7-18
Authentic spiritual abundance cannot be separated from the person and work of Jesus Christ, who alone provides both access to God and the sacrificial foundation for eternal life. Unlike false shepherds who exploit and abandon those under their care, Jesus reveals his love for his own through his willingness to die for his sheep, establishing that true spiritual authority is measured not by preserving oneself but by self-sacrifice. This kind of shepherding transcends duty or obligation, but instead is rooted in intimate, mutual knowledge that reflects God’s very nature and extends his redemptive work across all human boundaries. Our spiritual security and growth depend entirely upon our relationship with Christ, and we should spurn any teaching or leader that promises life apart from Jesus. The scope of his mission is global as we, by faith, participate in his drawing others into his overflowing harvest and abundant life.
Invocation
Gracious Father, I approach you today through your Son, Jesus Christ, the only gate by which anyone can enter your presence to find the abundant life you have promised. Open my heart afresh to receive the truth of your Word as I meditate upon the sacrificial love of our Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for me. Grant me the wisdom to recognize and reject the voices of those who would steal, kill, and destroy what you have prepared for me, and teach me to cling more closely to your Son, he who laid down his life for us all. Amen.
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.
Chronological Scripture Readings for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the entire Bible in one year in chronological order.
Sunday: Mark 14.1-2, 10-26; Matt. 26.1-5, 14-30; Luke 22.1-30; John 13.1-30
Our readings from the Psalms, the Old Testament, the Gospels and the Epistles are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary for this week.
Psalm: Psalm 91:1-6,14-16
Old Testament (or Acts [during Eastertide]): Jer. 32:1-3a,6-15
Gospel: Luke 16:1-13
New Testament: 1 Tim. 6:6-19
Click here for all of this week’s Scripture readings
Psalms and Proverb for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the Psalms and Proverbs each month.
Sunday: Psalm 28, 58, 88, 118, 148 and Proverbs 28
Living Abundantly: The Overflowing Harvest, John 10:7-18
Jesus is both the exclusive gate to salvation and the Good Shepherd who sacrificially loves and gives his life for his sheep. This contrasts with the destructive work of thieves and false shepherds, and establishes that the overflowing harvest and abundant life God offers flows solely through him.
Reflection
Jesus reveals his unique identity through two complementary metaphors, which show him as the source of abundant spiritual life. As the exclusive gate, he provides the only legitimate access to salvation, safety, and spiritual nourishment. He stands in stark contrast to the thieves and robbers who seek to destroy rather than nurture the sheep. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus lays down his life for his sheep, unlike hired hands who abandon their responsibilities when danger threatens. This intimate relationship between Jesus and his sheep mirrors the perfect knowledge shared between himself and the Father. Jesus declares that his approaching death represents his own act of love, a voluntary act that redeems his own. This establishes that the overflowing harvest of abundant life that God offers flows exclusively through him and his sacrifice.
Engaging God’s Word Today
How does recognizing Jesus as both your exclusive Gate to God and your sacrificial Good Shepherd change the way you evaluate other voices claiming to offer spiritual guidance or fulfillment in your life?
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, The Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God,
Begotten of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God,
Begotten not created, of the same essence as the Father,
through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became human.
Who for us too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giver,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Who together with the Father and Son is worshiped and glorified.
Who spoke by the prophets.
We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin,
and we look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Benediction
Dear Savior, help me to go forth today confident in the security that comes from knowing that you are both the gate to salvation and the Good Shepherd who gave your life for me. Teach me to find rest in the intimate knowledge you have of me, and show me how to respond with trust and obedience to your voice as you speak to me day by day. Let your peace, as the very One who has authority over both life and death, guard my heart and mind as I live in the overflowing harvest and abundant life you have won for me. Amen.
Scripture Memory for this season
Matthew 9:37-38 (ESV):
37 “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Scripture Engagement
As disciples of Jesus, the Churches of Christ the King strongly seek to engage the Scriptures to discover the centrality of Christ and his Kingdom in the prophetic and apostolic writings. You will find a rich treasure of resources on engaging Scripture at the Center for Scripture Engagement of Taylor University.
Book Reading
• As A Man Thinketh, James Allen (during seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany)
• The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen (during seasons of Holy Week, Lent and Resurrection)
• Atomic Habits, James Clear (during seasons of Ascension and Coming of Holy Spirit)
• The Seven Laws of the Harvest, John Lawrence (during seasons of Headship and Harvest)
• Get Your Pretense On!, Dr. Don Davis (during the seasons of Hope and Remembering the Saints, Exalting the King)
Book Reading Reflection: Get Your Pretense On!
(Reading “Get Your Pretense On!” during seasons of Hope and Remembering the Saints, Exalting the King)
This book is inspired by a concept unpacked by the great apologist, C. S. Lewis in his pithy and helpful little book, Mere Christianity. In that insightful text, Lewis explains his notion of the relationship between bad pretense and good pretense in a chapter entitled “Let’s Pretend,” given through his brief exposition of the actual language used in the Lord’s Prayer. Essentially, Lewis suggests that no one can relate to the Lord without actually pretending to be what the Father claims you are, though all evidence and internal emotional confirmation argues to the contrary. In other words, we are who we are because God says so, and the Christian life is lived largely on the basis of accepting that, even though, on the surface, things don’t seem to agree with God’s claims of our rightful identity. Such is my poor commentary on his brilliant analysis. Below is a portion of his amazing argument:
Its very first words are “Our Father.” Do you now see what those words mean? They mean quite frankly, that you are putting yourself in the place of a son of God. To put it bluntly, you are dressing up as Christ. If you like, you are pretending. Because, of course, the moment you realize what the words mean, you realize that you are not a son of God. You are not being like The Son of God, whose will and interests are at one with those of the Father: you are a bundle of self-centered fears, hopes, greeds, jealousies, and self-conceit, all doomed to death. So that, in a way, this dressing up as Christ is a piece of outrageous cheek. But the odd thing is that He has ordered us to do it.
~ Davis, Don. Get Your Pretense On! Living as a Citizen and Ambassador of the Kingdom of God. TUMI Press, Wichita, KS, 2018. Electronic Edition, Location 101-112.
Seedling Focus for the Season: The Harvest is Plentiful, the Workers Few
Description: The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, Matt 9:37-38.
On Eagles Wings Prayer Focus: A Long Time Comin‘
The Call to Labor: Working in God’s Fields, Matt. 9:37-38
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