New Life Daily Devotion - Feb. 28, 2010
Facing Loss
John 10
We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Addiction and stealing usually go hand in hand. Stealing is one way to fill our desperate needs when we have no other ways of getting them met. We may have been robbed ourselves and we feel violated, left with a deficit of our own. Somehow, in either case, we have to get to the point of being filled up. Both stealing and feeling ripped off are signs of a need that should be addressed.
Jesus told a story describing himself as a shepherd who has great love for us, his sheep. He also said, "I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. . . . The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life" (John 10:7-8, 10). The apostle Paul warned, "If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need" (Ephesians 4:28).
In our inventory we will easily spot the obvious things we've stolen or had stolen from us. But we also need to look further. We need to look deeply to find the areas where we feel deprived. We need to discover the places where we want more than what others might consider our fair share. We need to uncover the empty places carved out by our previous losses. As we inventory our deficits, we can bring all of the sins and the deprivations beneath them to Jesus so that he can fill them. It will be out of this sense of fullness that we can begin to give.
Our inventory will uncover the empty places in our lives so God can fill them with his love and care.
Originally published February 28, 2010.
