Words from a Branch

  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. John 10:27-29 ESV                 There is a certainty in salvation. How can God fail? God is greater than all, by definition, and by revelation, so failure is well and truly impossible with His purposes. His purpose here is very definite, to give his flock security in love of God and in salvation. We find here two aspects of the divine love both contributing to our sure sense of security. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep. As we learn in Psalm 139, and elsewhere, this is not causal knowledge but a truly intimate understanding of each and every one of the sheep in His flock. It is a particular love He bears towards them in calli...

            There are many places which we might think worthless. Generic buildings repeated over and over again in every town signifying nothing important or special to society at large; or small preserves of nature lacking anything extraordinary to the perception of the community as a whole, these might be done away with and nothing would be lost. So we think as we gaze on another box of concrete, steel, and glass set in a sea of pavement, or a little vacant lot tucked away between the more noteworthy spaces. These offer us no great historical significance, no architectural or natural wonders, no unique opportunities of any kind: so we think. Thus, we destroy these places and spaces without a second thought, anticipating that the next occupying structure will be more worthy than the last. We see only gain, but in truth each time we remove and rebuild we lose something irreplaceable.        ...