Brown's Daily Word 4/15/15

Praise the Lord for this wonderful Wednesday. The Lord Jesus of eternal Spring ushers in the Spring season once again with full splendor and majesty. Alice and I walked last evening by the banks of one of the rivers nearby. We saw the river over flooded above the banks and flowing with great ferocity and grace. We saw children running around and taking the pictures of the geese in the ponds. Many water fowl were performing their evening dance in the water. Our Lord makes all things glorious. We will be meeting for our Wednesday evening Study and fellowship at 6:00 PM followed by choir practice at 7:30. It is going to be a glorious day.
In the gospel according to John we read about the four appearances of the risen Lord. It is the beloved disciple John to whom the Lord has given revelation of the last days. One of the most striking features of John's gospel is the presence of what are known as the "I AM sayings" of Jesus. In the gospel of John, Jesus defines himself with such famous statements as: "I am the Bread of Life . . . I am the Light of the World . . . I am the Resurrection and the Life . . . I am the Way, the Truth and the Life . . . I am the True Vine . . . " In John 10 we find two of the I AM sayings. In this chapter, Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd . . . "and "I am the gate of the sheep . . . "
The famous novelist Frederick Forsythe has told a story about Christmas Eve 1957, when a young Royal Air Force pilot was stationed at a base in Germany. As Christmas approached, he yearned to visit home, but his hopes were dashed when his commanding officer told him that he had to stand duty on Christmas day. He resigned himself to the prospect of a lonely holiday, when suddenly, late on Christmas Eve, the word came that he was released from duty and could fly home to England.
At ten o'clock on Christmas Eve, the young aviator climbed into the cockpit of his single-seater Vampire fighter jet and took off under a moonless sky for the 400-mile flight home to Kent, England. But just ten minutes out over the North Sea, there was a short in the jet's electrical system, causing his instrument panel to go dark, and both the compass and the standby compass failed. Fighting a rising sense of panic, the pilot realized he only had 80 minutes worth of fuel for the flight home. Recalling what he was taught to do in such an emergency, he descended to a lower altitude, slowed his airspeed, and flew in an emergency triangular pattern in order to be picked up on radar. He wondered: Will anyone see me? Will help come in time? He began to pray: "O heavenly Father, lead me home . . . "
Suddenly, from out of nowhere there appeared beneath him a dark object — a plane dipped its wing as a signal for him to follow. This plane led the young aviator to a landing field with a lighted runway. As he got into his landing pattern, the plane disappeared into the night. In aviation parlance, such a plane is known as a shepherd. As he touched down, the young pilot breathed a prayer of thanks for that unknown shepherd who found and led him home.
We live in a dark and dangerous world. In John 10, Jesus speaks of robbers, thieves and wolves. In modern times, we can add terrorists to the list of dangers. In John 10 we are told that a shepherd is watching over us. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd." I used to think that the phrase "good shepherd" meant a nice, kind-hearted shepherd. However, translated precisely, Jesus is saying, "I am the excellent shepherd." "No wolf ever laid a paw on one of my sheep. I am the good shepherd."
 God knows our needs. When we need to be out in green pastures, he answers that need. When Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd" he means, "I know my sheep completely — their diseases, their fears, their dreams and joys." We are safe in His care.
In Him.
Brown
https://youtu.be/ZIUCRXMM4pE