My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.

John 10:27-30

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20250512ECME.mp3

To make the sign for “trust” in American Sign Language, hold your two hands, palms up, fingers curled and stacked at an angle as if you are firmly gripping a tug-of-war rope. This sign for trust creates a picture of someone that is not letting go, under any circumstance.

This is the trust that God wants us to have for him. We can trust that no one, under any circumstance, can snatch us from his hand. But sometimes, instead of trusting in the one that can recue us from everything, we put our trust into something else. We put our trust into ourselves or things of this world, thinking that in these things holds the answers to all of our problems.

When we look inside ourselves for answers, we easily fall into sin. But sins are filled with false promises. Every temptation whispers, “Come here. This is better for you.” But it’s a lie. You hear the lie, “Drink more wine, you’ll feel better.” But when you do drink, you feel worse. Another whisper: “Gossip about your coworker. It’s just venting.” But all you feel is momentary power, then jealousy, and you hurt a friend in the process. Another whisper: “One little lie won’t hurt.” But afterwards you feel embarrassed as you try to get out of it. With every sin, every time you give in to the lie, you feel empty, fake, and cowardly. Every temptation is an empty promise that you will fix something or feel better, and giving in to those temptations only makes you feel worse.

Everything in this world is filled with empty promises. Even our fellow believers will fail us at times. So instead of following the empty promises of this world, we look to Jesus, our Shepherd, who only wants good things for us. What separates Jesus from everything else in this world is that he was willing to die for us. His promises aren’t empty. Jesus is trustworthy and true, and everything that he promises has come true.

What does Jesus promise? He promises to care for us, as a shepherd cares for his sheep. His love never fails, never waivers. He promises to forgive us, every day. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). He promises that, through his death and coming back to life on Easter, we will live with him forever in heaven. With his words of comfort bring security. He will supply our every need here on earth and has supplied our greatest need, a Savior from sin and life in heaven.

Prayer:

Christian Worship 21 816:1,4