Other Bees

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” — John 10:16 As a keeper of honeybees, I’ve grown a bit narrowminded. I’ve become partial to honeybees even though I know there are lots of others—like bumblebees, sweat bees, and carpenter bees—to name a few. Recently I learned there are also mason bees, which use mud to make nests is small cavities. There are actually over 20,000 species of bees all around the world. Mind-boggling!This could lead us to wonder about people groups too. Estimates for the number of people groups in the world range from about 11,000 to 24,000. Did you know that?Jesus knew about other people groups—"other sheep” besides the people into which he was born. Jesus, the good shepherd, could not and would not be content in rescuing just one people group. He came to bring God’s salvation to all the people groups throughout the world.In my thinking about honeybees, I need to remember that all of the bees in God’s creation are treasured. And when it comes to people, we need to remember that each one is made in the image of God. Jesus came to rescue God’s children from every people group in the whole human race.In what ways can we show others that they are precious in God’s sight? Jesus, thank you for being the good shepherd. Thank you for rescuing us from the curse of sin and death. Guide us to pray for and work with others whom you have come to rescue as well. In your name, Amen.