Daily Devotional Thursday Thoughts | April 16, 2026
It’s Thursday, and time for your daily devotional. Throughout the Old Testament, God is referred to as a Shepherd. Isaiah 40:11 declares, “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd.” In Ezekiel 34:12, He is the Shepherd who seeks out His flock, and in Psalm 80:1, He is the Shepherd of Israel. In Jesus’ fourth “I AM” statement, He proclaims, “I am the Good Shepherd.” In today’s daily devotional, Jesus identifies with God by stating He is the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd
In John 10, Jesus calls out the thief, or false shepherd, who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. In contrast, Jesus reveals in verse 11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The Good Shepherd and the thief are total opposites. While the thief’s works destroy the sheep, the shepherd works to keep them safe. The Good Shepherd never leaves nor forsakes them. In your daily devotional, Psalm 23:1 says the Lord is your Shepherd; therefore, you are not in want.
Atonement For Sin
The last part of verse 11 says the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. Jesus came to be the atonement for your sins. Jesus knew His mission, and when His time drew near, His eyes were fixed on Jerusalem. For the joy set before Him, He was willing to endure pain, humiliation, and suffering. In this daily devotional, Jesus has delivered you from darkness, translated you into the Kingdom of Light, and reconciled you to the Father.
A Shepherd’s Role
In biblical times, a shepherd’s job was to protect the flock and guide them to pastures with easily accessible, slow-moving water and plenty of grass. If sheep grazed on poor-quality grass, they were malnourished. If water moved too fast, sheep feared drinking it. Therefore, the shepherd’s guidance was necessary to the flock’s health.
A shepherd carried a rod or stick with a knob on one end, using it as a weapon to protect the sheep from predators and other threats. They carried a staff for walking and to maneuver the sheep when necessary. They’d also carry a sling for further protection, and a skilled shepherd could fling rocks from a distance to wound or scare off wild animals.
Sheep were valuable because they provided sheepskin, wool, and food. Shepherds would stay with them day and night to protect them. In this daily devotion, you were valuable enough for the Lord to give His all for you, and as your Good Shepherd, He makes you lie down in green pastures and leads you beside still waters.
Hireling vs. Shepherd
In verse 12, Jesus tells the nature of the hireling versus the shepherd: “But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.” Hirelings, or false shepherds, aren’t called by God, but led by their own interests. When wolves, or threats, come against the flock, they abandon them, but the Good Shepherd never will. In today’s daily devotional, say this out loud: “There is only one Good Shepherd, and His name is Jesus.”
He is Your Good Shepherd
In Thursday’s daily devotional, Jesus restates in verse 14, “I am the good shepherd.” He knows His sheep. Psalm 139:2-4 declares that He knows your “downsitting” and your “uprising.” He is acquainted with all your ways and knows every word in your tongue. Also, He knows your thoughts afar off. In today’s daily devotional, trust Jesus’ fourth “I AM” statement, for He is your Good Shepherd.
