The Hired Hand vs. The Owner

"He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep." -John 10:12-15 

I think this passage is boss! Do you have hired hands in your own life? They are those things we look towards for satisfaction, protection, joy, identity, and salvation. They walk out on us, leaving us to the consequences of our sin. The great news is that our good shepherd has already proven his willingness to stand by us through the finished work on the cross. Have we taken the opportunity to know him?