What's Love Got to Do with It? A Devotional Review

This devotional is a reflection on the sermon Pastor Limerick preach last Sunday (11.16.2025) based on John 10:1-6 (with background from John 9). The central theme, inspired by Tina Turner's song, was that love has everything to do with God's relationship with us. Jesus, the ultimate shepherd, demonstrates a love that is defined by ownership, personal calling, and salvation that transcends our understanding.

Link to the sermon on YouTube. The sermon begins around 57 minute mark.

The sermon asks, "What's love got to do with it?" The answer: everything!! Jesus, the good shepherd, defines His relationship with us through love, contrasting it with the rule-focused approach of the religious leaders.

1. The Shepherd Owns the Sheep

The Pharisees managed faith like a system of control (law), quick to find fault. Jesus, the rightful shepherd, enters by the door, representing divine authorization through love. His ownership is devotion, not domination; He possesses us to love us to freedom. When suffering occurs, stop asking "who sinned?" and instead ask, "God, what are you up to?".

2. The Shepherd Calls the Sheep by Name

Jesus calls His own sheep by name with a tone of affection, not a shouted command. This call is an act of liberation, leading us out of temporary confines and striving (like an Exodus) and into freedom. God has put His name on us. No matter the labels others use, we belong to Him.

3. The Shepherd Saves the Sheep

The original listeners failed to understand Jesus's words because their hearts were trained by law, not love; they missed the compassion. The critical truth is that salvation does not depend on our understanding. The sheep trust the Shepherd's voice and follow, even though they don't understand how He protects them. Love saves by allowing us to feel His love on the inside. We are safe because He is Emmanuel—God with us.

Reflection Questions

• The sermon contrasts the Pharisees' reliance on law and hierarchy with Jesus's motivation of love and compassion. In your daily life or within your community, where do you find yourself defaulting to the mindset of the Pharisees—focusing on rules, finding fault, or assigning blame —instead of seeking to understand and display the work of God's love and mercy?

• Jesus says the sheep know his voice and will not follow a stranger. The shepherd calls us out of the temporary "pen" and into freedom.What are the "voices of strangers" in your life (e.g., self-doubt, worldly striving, fear, negative labels ) that you are currently following or struggling to flee from? How can you intentionally attune your heart and mind to better recognize the Shepherd's affectionate, liberating call?

• A core message of salvation is that it doesn't depend on our intellectual understanding. The sheep trust the Shepherd even though they don't understand how he protects them or where he is leading them. Recall a difficult or confusing period in your life where you had to move forward without a clear understanding of God's plan (the "how" or the "why"). What comfort did you find in simply knowing that God is with you (Emmanuel), and how can you rely on that feeling of His presence more than your own intellect when facing current uncertainty?

• What is one area where you are currently trying to "understand everything" instead of simply trusting the Shepherd's voice and His presence?