​We often view suffering or the silence of God as a mark of His disapproval or the presence of sin in our lives. But as we consider the life of John the Baptist, we know this is not the case because of God’s grace. 

Jesus thought that John was a great man and knew that he was full of faith and faithfulness, but still allowed him to suffer just like Job (who God offered up to Satan in Job 1:8 and 2:3). In His great grace and for His good reasons, God allowed both of them to suffer in this life and seemed silent in their suffering. And yet, there was a time when He told both of them the same thing amid their suffering: “I AM who I AM.”

That is the answer to the suffering we endure in this earthly life. God is who He said He is. He is gracious. His grace has more to do with who He is and who we are in Him. If God wants to allow a season of earthly suffering so that He can perfect something precious and eternal in you, wouldn’t you desire that, too?

Probably not—but God does not ask for our permission. He gives us the Scriptures so that while suffering, we can be assured of His character and continue to learn the secret of being content in any and every situation. It comes down to who He is and who we are in Him. Nothing we endure in this earthly life could ever separate us from that eternal and immutable truth. 

If you are an adopted son or daughter of the King, settle in your heart who God is and who you are in Him. Knowing His identity and your identity in Him is essential so that you can stand knowing that the wind and waves will never move you from who you are forever in Him. 

In Him, you are greater than even John the Baptist. In Him, you are His son, His daughter. He loves you as much as He loves His Son, Jesus. When the wind blows strong, the waves crash all around, and a season of suffering starts to sway you—remember who God is and who you are forever in Him: inseparable!

“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 

What prompted John the Baptist to ask this question of Jesus? Maybe it was because he was in prison. Maybe it was because Jesus seemed to be helping everyone else except him. Or did John get it all wrong? Was Jesus who John thought He was?

Keep in mind the things that John might have had in mind when he proposed this question. He was the faithful forerunner of The Messiah. He was the greatest prophet under the Old Covenant. He was the greatest man born among women. He was even related to Jesus! But despite all of this, it seems that Jesus wasn’t doing anything for John.

But Jesus does not always do what we think He should do. Faith has less to do with what He can do for us and more to do with Who He really is—whether or not He does what we want Him to do. 

Tough questions— like the one John asked and the ones we ask—can have tougher answers. But this is what it’s like at times as we’re learning to let His perfect love drive out fear. It’s not always pleasant—it’s terrifying and wonderful, all at the same time as we continue to comprehend what sovereign grace looks like and who God is: “I AM who I AM.”

​Jesus sees what happens to you. In His omniscience and for His purposes, He doesn’t always shield us from the awful, painful, or unjust things that happen to us. Jesus Himself was falsely accused of being possessed by Beelzebub. And if Jesus was falsely accused, then we can prepare ourselves to be falsely accused as well (Matthew 10:25).

So what should we do? We can take care of our character and let God take care of our reputation. We cannot manage everyone’s perception of us—that would take all of our time and energy (and we’d end up failing and falling right into the trap of the enemy).

Although God may not immediately rescue you or remove you from the difficulty, you can entrust yourself entirely to the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23), freeing yourself to give yourself wholly to Him and to His will for your life.

Resist the urge to manage your own reputation. Refuse to fear those who hurl false accusations and insults at you. Refrain from getting into the ring or into the mud to retaliate. Be steadfastly committed to sharing God’s life-giving, life-changing word. Beating the darkness never works. Give yourself to shining the light. 

​In Matthew 10, Jesus gives the 12 Apostles specific principles as He sends them to specific people in specific places at a specific time to do the good work of the Good Shepherd. He reminds them to trust that where God guides, God will provide. This may not necessarily be financial. God will provide whatever will draw us into a deeper relationship and dependence upon Him as He guides us.

We hope that when we provide others with the Good News of Jesus, it will be desired by all. But Jesus makes it clear that not everybody will receive from us or be worthy of our trust. We are commanded to love and forgive all, but not to entrust ourselves to a person who proves untrustworthy.

Sound difficult? It is the beautiful, worthy, and painful difficulty called ministry. It isn’t a stroll in the park, but an adventure of faith. Learning to hear Him. Learning to obey Him. Learning to trust that He will provide for you wherever He guides you.

What often draws you into a deeper and more reliant relationship with Him is the pain that comes when people treat you poorly, which will happen when you serve others. When you follow the call of Jesus, some will refuse to receive from you and may even betray and persecute you—including the very people that you laid down your life to serve. Some people did this to Jesus. He tells us that we will receive the same treatment. But like Jesus, we too can serve with joy—despite the circumstances.

​Of the disciples who followed Him, Jesus called Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, James Thaddaeus, and Simon, and Judas to be His Apostles (His “sent ones”) to do the good work of The Good Shepherd.

These men weren’t religious professionals. In and of themselves, they were not qualified to be His apostles. In fact, they probably wouldn’t have been the first choice for many of us if we were to decide who to delegate the responsibility of the holy work of The Good Shepherd. 

But Jesus saw something in them that maybe no one else saw. He wanted them, so He called them to be with Him. He chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and the things of this world that are common and looked down on. God chose things considered unimportant to do away with things considered important.

This is why He chose you, too—ordinary people called by an extraordinary God who wants and calls us to be with Him. Then out of the overflow of our fellowship with Him, we find ourselves living, loving, serving, and caring just like Him as we do the good work of The Good Shepherd. 

Like the Apostles, we might be unlikely from a worldly perspective, but God knows we’re perfect for what He has called us to do. Though we have failures, flaws, and personal liabilities, Jesus still loves us enough to receive us just as we are, but loves us too much to leave us just as we were.

​Maybe you haven’t connected or resonated with any of the apostles we've studied so far. Perhaps you haven’t seen yourself in the picture of Scripture with Peter or Andrew, James or John, Philip or Nathanael, or Thomas or Matthew. 

It could seem frivolous to you to consider these men’s personalities because all you can see is your sin. 

It’s possible that you even feel like there should be a special category of sinner that should be outside of God’s mercy, and that you’re the only one in that category.

If that’s you, receive this trustworthy saying: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Over and over again in Scripture, Jesus gives us example after example of how His mercy meets even the worst of sinners. He loves you enough to receive you just as you are, AND He loves you too much to leave you just as you were. Come to Him—He’s calling YOU!

​The Apostle Philip was prone to seeing with his senses. He tended to lean toward the analytical, which came across as being cynical. But those prone to seeing with their senses can often miss what must be seen with the eyes of faith.

We see this in John 6 when Jesus turns to Philip and asks him where they will buy bread for the multitude. The task seems impossible when Philip sees the need with only his senses. But if he had included Jesus in his analysis, he could see (with eyes of faith) that the task would be easy. 

Of course, Jesus knew this before He asked Philip. He knew Philip would say this task was impossible. But throughout the Gospels, Jesus tells us that all things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27). When the Apostles brought Jesus what they had and placed it in His hands, Jesus blessed, broke, and miraculously multiplied their resources so others could be blessed.

Are you facing the seemingly impossible? What do you have? Bring it to Jesus and place it in His hands—even if you don’t think it’s enough. If you hold it for yourself, that’s all it will ever be. But when you put it all in His hands, He can break, bless, and multiply—and do the impossible.

​Before meeting Jesus, Mary Magdalene was tormented by seven demons. For years, she experienced perpetual agony with no earthly remedy. But Mary encountered a Man who was more than just a man. She met Jesus, Who changed her life forever.

Jesus rescued Mary from demonic possession and affliction and set her free. And with her freedom, she chose to follow and serve Jesus wholeheartedly. Out of gratefulness for His grace, Mary supported, served, and stood by Jesus until the end. She was one of the few disciples present at the foot of the cross, willing to risk her life and bear the shame for the name of the One who set her free. No wonder Satan desired to hold her down demonically and hold her back from the strength and beauty that was found in her once she was set free!

Her life and her soul were saved by Jesus. Her heart was set free to serve Him courageously and faithfully. She was the first to see Jesus after His resurrection. After all, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead had saved her. And it’s that same power and Person we share with Mary to serve Jesus courageously and faithfully into eternity. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

​The only people that the Jews in Jesus’ time hated more than the Romans were tax collectors. They extorted additional money from their own people, often by force and threats of violence. Zacchaeus wasn’t just a tax collector–he was a chief tax collector who was rich. 

So it’s not difficult to imagine how much contempt the people of Jericho would have for this man as they looked down on him—if they looked at him at all. And yet, Jesus would look up to him. After climbing a tree to get a better view of Jesus, Jesus would seek out Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, and a sinner, but a person who desperately wanted to be rescued from his sin. 

As Zacchaeus spent time with Jesus, something happened in his heart. There was a change, a transformation. Jesus tells us why—“Today salvation has come to this house…” (Luke 19:9). Just like Abraham, Zacchaeus was saved by grace through faith. 

That’s why Jesus came. He summarized His entire ministry this way: “…the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He sees you. He sees your soul, and despite your sinfulness, He desires to make your heart His home, cleaning it from sin and changing it forever. Call out to Him—He wants to be with you!

​James and John had the tendency to be really angry. They were often zealous without a moral compass, as well as sinfully and selfishly ambitious. Their nickname, “Sons of Thunder” was a perfect fit.

After each thunderclap, Jesus didn’t toss them out of the group but called them to Himself. He lovingly rebuked, corrected, and taught them about ministry. Because of their fellowship with Jesus, James and John were radically transformed. As their eyes were opened to what ministry looks like, they saw the good work of The Good Shepherd.

Ministry does not look like frying your enemy’s faces off (John 9:54), being zealously angry all the time (Mark 9:38), or scheming for personal gain (Matthew 20:21). Because they drew near to Jesus, James and John came to understand that Jesus came to save lives, not to destroy lives. They saw that Jesus came to serve, not to be served. They observed that The Good Shepherd came to lay His life down so that others may live. 

James and John learned all this as Jesus loved and received them just as they were. But we know that Jesus loves us too much to leave us as He finds us. As He calls us to be with Him, He transforms us, too. Our zeal and ambition can be fantastic and fruitful qualities only when harnessed and focussed by Jesus so that our motives for ministry match The Good Shepherd.