05.24.2023 Psalm 23:6 The Breaking Point

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

    all the days of my life,

Deep down inside most of us wonder how long our Good Shepherd will put up with us. We are willful, wanton, wandering sheep. In every other relationship there is a limit to how much of our brokenness someone will put up with. There is a breaking point at which they walk away, saying we are not worth the trouble. These experiences lead us to look at Jesus and wonder what His breaking point is. The truth is He does have one. There is a point at which Jesus says enough is enough. That point came when Satan came for you. When he brought sin and death to hunt you down and steal you from the Shepherd’s flock. On that day our Good Shepherd said, “Enough is enough!” His breaking point is found not in your willful, wanton, wandering actions, but in His love for you. The thought of losing you pushed Him to the breaking point. He went to the cross to bleed and die to protect and defend you. There is nothing you can do, and nowhere you can wander, that will make Jesus give up on you. His goodness and mercy will pursue you on the best and worst days of your life. Every single one of them. That is what it means to be a sheep in the Good Shepherd’s flock.

Jesus, my Good Shepherd, thank You for never giving up on me, even when I was ready to give up on myself. Help me to always know that I have never exceeded the bounds of Your love. Amen.

You may call God love, you may call God goodness. But the best name for God is compassion. — Meister Eckhart

Don't forget to love yourself. — Soren Kierkegaard