3 things that God has in His heart for His flock

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God, who is very loving, has nothing but good things in His heart for His people. Here are some things that God has in His heart for His flock, His people.

1) God wants all to live – in Him and with Him

Contrary to how others think of God, He is not a brutal God who enjoys killing people. This, He Himself said in Ezekiel 33:11.

" ...'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?'"

God does not delight in the death of evil people. He does not delight in the thought of people perishing without knowing Him. And He doesn't delight in the thought of His children going astray, back once more into spiritual death.

This is why Christ died for us: to show us that God loves us. Romans 5:6-8 explains that very well.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

2. God wants to personally take care of His people

God Himself loves us so much that He Himself wants to take care of us personally. No, He doesn't want to spoil us so that we'd live unrighteous lives while He does good to us. Rather, He wants us to look to Him for our needs because He is good to us. Consider what He wants to do, according to Ezekiel 34:11-12.

"'For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness."

3. God wants us to follow Christ – our Good Shepherd

Above all, God wants us to follow His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom He has set as our Good Shepherd. God said in Ezekiel 34:23-24,

"I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken."

More than anything else, God wants us to love Christ and follow Him. He wants us conformed to the image of Christ. This doesn't mean that He hates our personalities. Rather, He loves us so much that He wants us to be who we should be – like Jesus, the firstborn among all. (see Romans 8:29-30)