“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?” – Ezekiel 34:2 (NASB)

I witnessed something unusual during my first combat tour in Iraq while assigned to the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment.  I was in the Regimental Tactical Operations Center (RTOC) and was summoned to the main command center for an awards presentation.  Then I witnessed our Regimental Commander present an Army Commendation Medal to a young staff officer.  This in and of itself was not that unusual.  However, what was unusual was the reason the staff officer received the award.

The staff officer was drafting an Operations Order (OPORD).  At the Regimental level an OPORD is developed by staff plans officers who then present the OPORD to the Commander for approval.  Prior to the Commander’s approval it is a good idea if the staff officer coordinates the details of the OPORD with all those that will be affected by it once it is issued.  This particular order would affect a majority of the Regiment, including hundreds of Troopers, dozens of vehicles, time, and lots of money.  Therefore, like any good staff officer, he sent the OPORD to our subordinate units for coordination.  Apparently, the staff officer did not communicate well that the OPORD was a coordinating draft and not the real thing.  Before long, resources and people were moving to execute the order.  It didn’t take long before the RTOC realized what was going on and put a stop to it.  Then the Commander was informed what happened.

Lesser commanders would at least have given the young staff officer a severe tongue-lashing.  He might have even been relieved of duty.  In this case, our Commander publicly awarded the young man.  Why you ask?  Because part of our Commander’s philosophy was to reward acts of commission while not tolerating acts of omission.

The idea of rewarding acts of commission and not tolerating acts of omission is consistent with God’s message to Jewish leaders found in Ezekiel 34.  The book of Ezekiel was written during the Babylonian exile.  The prophet Ezekiel was sent to Babylon in exile along with Judah’s king Jehoiachin around the year 597 B.C. during a time of international turmoil between the waning Assyrian Empire, the resurging Babylonian Empire, and growing Persian Empire.  Ezekiel’s timeline overlaps that of the prophet Jeremiah in Jerusalem and Daniel in Babylon.  While in exile Ezekiel was tasked by God to prophecy the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

As we find in Ezekiel 34:10, one of the reasons God is punishing Israel and Judah is because their leaders failed to keep God first in their kingdoms and in their lives (sound relevant?).  In other words they were omitting their duties as shepherds of God’s people and were living lavish lifestyles while committing acts of pure selfishness and abuse.  Ezekiel’s message to the Jewish leaders – God would only tolerate acts of omission for so long before taking matters into His own “hands”.

God’s message to the shepherds of today is as relevant as it was the Jewish leaders over 2500 years ago even though the acts of omission listed in Ezekiel 34:4 manifest themselves differently today.  So here are some things to consider from this particular chapter of God’s Word.

First, who are the sickly not strengthened? To me this translates in modern terms to the spiritually weak that will stay that way if we are constantly feeding them milk (1 Corinthians 3:2), never maturing them to spiritual strength and maturity (Ephesians 4:11-13), and never holding them accountable.

Second, who are the diseased not healed? Diseases must be treated because they have a debilitating effect on one’s own body and can then infect those who come in contact with it.  Likewise, we must keep an eye out for the members of our flock who are suffering the debilitating effects of life’s circumstances, usually brought on by their own poor decisions.   We must “treat” them with love, compassion, mercy, and encouragement to arrest the disease.  We must also be aware of how the disease will impact the rest of the body of believers and how, if left untreated, the disease will spread in the form of division (1 Corinthians 12:25) as “camps” form around the various affected parties.

Third, we have the broken not bound.  Broken bones are symbolic of broken lives, in this case the broken lives of the innocent who are suffering because of the poor decisions of others.   They are the “collateral damage” of relationships gone wrong and like a busted timber on a sailing ship, they must be bound up to heal or they will “sink”.  We like to think of our own congregation as a place where those with broken lives come for healing.  May all our congregations be seen as such.

Fourth, we are reminded of the scattered not gathered.  These are the members who deny themselves a healthy relationship with God by forsaking the assembly and other spiritual practices.  These are also the members who forsake their brothers and sisters for the company of the unrighteous, thus denying us the opportunity of a healthy relationship with them.  It is our responsibility to go after the scattered sheep and gather them back to the safety, security, and relationships of the flock.

Fifth, there are the lost not sought.  These are the members that fall through the cracks because we weren’t involved in their lives.  These are the people whose names come up in meetings or conversation and we say to ourselves “whatever happened to the Lawstwunns?  I haven’t seen them in forever.”  We are taking steps not to commit this act of omission by intentionally visiting all our members over the course of the next year or so in order to become part of their lives so they get to know who their shepherds are outside the context of weekly assembly.

These are just my thoughts on the first part of Ezekiel 34.  Hopefully they have given you something to contemplate while you strive to serve God in whatever role He has for you.  One thing is for certain – God has no tolerance for acts of omission and we had better be about the business of shepherding His people or He will dispense with us and care for His people without us until He finds someone else to take our place.

May your blessings exceed mine today and every day.

-DEM

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” – Matthew 9:35-38 (NASB)

Well, I’ve weathered the holidays and many significant events over the past two months.  Now I can get back to posting at least once a month for the two or three people that actually read what I write.  This year I will continue my personal development as a shepherd of God’s people while I continue to work my way through God’s Word seeking lessons to learn and share.  However, this post is slightly different.

I mentioned in my last post in November that one of our significant events was our annual Spiritual State of the Congregation address.  This is a tradition at my congregation where the shepherds each give a charge to the congregation for the year to come.  Therefore, I will be sharing most of my part of the address with you today, in case you are doing or would like to do the same thing at your congregation.

I like to start my charge by reviewing significant events over the past year.  I feel it is important to know where you have been before you talk about where you want to go.  This is a Scriptural practice as mentioned in my last blog.  Then I follow the review with a charge to the congregation which I try to center on a specific theme.  My theme for this year was Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way.  I hope   the following edited version of my charge is beneficial for you.  It was developmental for me as I wrote it and delivered it.  So, here goes.

INTRODUCTION

Good Morning Family,

We thank you for being here today as we deliver our annual Spiritual State of the Congregation.  In the past 18 months as one of your shepherds I have come to be known as the long winded one.  However, it is not because I like to hear my voice.  Nor is it because I think what I have to say is any more profound than the next person.  No, I am long winded for two reasons.  First, I am long winded because I am not smart enough to be more succinct.  Second, and most importantly, I am long winded because I am passionate about serving you and God as one of the shepherds here.  Now that I’ve warned you, let me begin.

YEAR IN REVIEW

Ephesians 4 charges us shepherds with the responsibility of equipping the

Saints (YOU) to build up the church (US).  This past year we have made strides in this direction by:

– Conducting an in-depth study of James, our Book of the Year
– Appointing new deacons, recognizing the contributions of those deacons no longer serving in that role, and hosting a combined Dynamic Deacons Seminar with a sister congregation

– Emphasizing specific ministries each month to jump start new ministries, sustain thriving ones, and reenergize ones that had stalled

– Continuing our emphasis on making our presence known in the community with our first annual Watermelon Olympics, the County Parade, and Community Starlighting

– Spreading the gospel in foreign countries such as Angola and Scotland and also other strange places such as Michigan and Texas:-)

– Launching a new website and YouTube devotionals
– Devoting resources and ourselves to the overlooked age group we call Gen Faith
– Improving our building and the surrounding grounds

– Recognizing a generation of service from one of our elders

– And conducting a well-designed VBS for our younger kids this past summer.  I mean, who knew Scooby and the Gang were members of the Church, right?

…And the list could go on.

We will continue many of these activities and ministries in the year ahead.  But there is always more we could do to glorify God.  Which leads me to my theme this morning of LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY.

CONGREGATIONAL CHARGE

There are two components to what I mean by LEAD.  First, I mean we shepherds will strive to lead by example. We recognize in order to be the shepherds the Lord wants us to be we must deepen our relationships with the whole congregation, just like we continue to deepen our relationships with our deacons and other ministry leaders with ministries of the month and other actions, just like we formed or deepened relationships with Gen Faith this past Summer, and just like we deepened relationships with many in our youth group at the teen elder / retreat last weekend. What this means to you is we have asked our Encouragement Deacon to schedule one hour visits where we shepherds visit you in your homes so we can spend time in personal prayer with you, get to know each other better, seek to inspire your involvement, and see where we can help you as shepherds.  This approach has been beneficial for us as we have taken similar action with our deacons and other ministry leaders.  You can ask them if this approach has not been beneficial for them.

Second, just as Christ developed the future leaders of the church, we will strive to develop current and future leaders of the congregation.  In Matthew 10, Jesus models what it means to create disciples and what it means to lead with authority.   Jesus then gives authority to the 12 Apostles and instructs them how to use it.  Up to this point, the 12 have been with Jesus, learning from His words and His example.  We will strive to follow Christ’s example by intentionally teaching, coaching, and mentoring current and future leaders in the Kingdom and seeking counsel and support from all generations of the vertical slice to foster a desire to serve in our youngest generation who are participating in Leadership Training for Christ (aka LTC), VBS, and other younger member opportunities.

Third, if you are already leading within this congregation then ask yourself “What else can I do?”  How can I become a more faithful follower of Christ by becoming a better leader in the congregation?  Ask yourself, are you giving your ministry, your family, and this body everything you have as a leader?  Are you struggling and do you need help, and have you asked for it?  We shepherds ask ourselves these questions routinely.  You will be well served if you do the same.

That is what I mean by LEAD.  Maybe by now you are asking yourselves what I mean by the second part, which is FOLLOW.

First, we all follow someone.  In Matthew 4 and Matthew 9, Christ calls his disciples with the simple words “Follow Me”.  He calls all of us to Follow Him even today by seeking and saving the lost and then teaching them to do the same.  Next, In Matthew 9:35-38 we have the following account:  Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

What we see here is Jesus imploring the disciples to find workers to spread the gospel and to minister.  Why?  Because He knew serving in the Kingdom was bigger than any of the disciples, He knew they would need the help of God, and He knew they would need the help of fellow disciples.  Family, if you call yourself a Christian than you are one of those disciples.  We have many ministries in our congregation led by capable Servants of God.  Many times their ministries become larger than any one person can handle.  These Servants need your help.  If you don’t have the gifts to help with every ministry, then help with the ones you do have the gift for.  If we don’t have a ministry specific to your gifts then approach us and we will figure out where, when, and how to use your gifts.  But don’t sit there and say you can’t do it.  Instead, sit there and say which of the servants of this congregation will I follow to help them with the harvest?

My final point on the idea of FOLLOW is this – we ask you to follow us as we follow Christ.  As I mentioned before, Ephesians 4 is a charge to us shepherds to equip the saints for building up the body.  Seldom do we have a conversation that this topic does not come up.  Seldom is this idea far from our minds.  If you follow us we will do our best to equip you and build up this body.  If you don’t follow us then God will look elsewhere to find good and faithful servants to do His will.  If you don’t believe me then try reading the Old Testament sometime.  It is replete with examples where God finds others to do His will when those with great opportunity refuse to do so. As shepherds, are we infallible?  Most certainly not.  However, we are serious about our roles in this congregation, serious about the charge given us by the Word of God, we care for your souls deeply, and God holds us accountable to follow His will personally and lead this congregation to follow His will as a body.

Which brings me to my final point of GET OUT OF THE WAY.  First, let us see what Jesus has to say on the matter.  Matthew 16:21-23 relates the following:  From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.  Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”  But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

I mentioned before that I have had the honor of serving as one of your shepherds for the past 18 months.  As with all families and all relationships we have experienced spiritual and emotional highs and lows together.  What has become readily apparent to me over these few months is how often and how hard Satan attacks us.

Something else I have noticed is just as Satan tempted Christ at the beginning of His ministry in Matthew 4, we tend to experience Satan’s attacks when we are trying to put our energy toward serving God.  What is even more perplexing is how some of us allow ourselves to be used by Satan to get in the way of the work here at Castle Rock.

We experienced this phenomenon last summer as we tried to get the Gen Faith ministry up and running.  People tried to undermine the ministry and others that had little or nothing to do with it were so concerned with themselves that they felt their personal issues were more important than a ministry meant for others.

I’ve also noticed how Satan focuses the bulks of his attacks on us from within.  Satan attacks us with distraction and he attacks us with discontent. He attacks our intellect, convincing us that we know better than those already serving God.  He attacks our families by convincing parents that staying together when their relationship is hurt is too hard and therefore broken homes are somehow better for all involved.  Or that the members of their family are objects to bend to their will instead of beings made in God’s own image to be loved and sacrificed for, down to the very fiber of our being.  And Satan attacks us in a host of other ways that are deeply rooted in ourselves as the sinners we are, instead of the Christians living out the life Jesus tells us we can have.

So what then do I mean by GET OUT OF THE WAY?  Simply this.

– If you are not setting your mind on God’s interests but your own, then just like Jesus told Peter, get out of the way.

-If you are not going to put God first but your own pettiness, get out of the way.

– If you are not going to seek what God wants for this body and instead are going to seek what you think He wants because you must know better, than get out of the way.

– If you are going to criticize those working for the Lord instead of pitching in to help, get out of the way.

– If you are going to gossip, if you are going to rebel, if you are going to refuse to place yourselves under the leadership of us Shepherds who are striving to do the will of God, get out of the way.

– If you don’t have the intestinal fortitude to bring your genuine, God-centered concerns directly to us, but would rather sew discontent, disunity, and disharmony, then get out of the way.

– IN SHORT, IF YOU ARE CONTENT TO BE SATAN’S TOOL INSTEAD OF GOD’S INSTRUMENT, THEN GET OUT OF THE WAY because, to paraphrase from Joshua’s immortal words “CHOOSE FOR YOURSELVES TODAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE…AS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!”

CONCLUSION

But I don’t want to leave you with such harsh words.  Instead, let us consider the words of Peter as found in his first epistle, chapter 5 vs. 8-9: Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

Isn’t it amazing that the very same man whom Christ rebuked as being a tool of Satan is the same man that warns us not fall into the same trap?  Isn’t it an encouragement to know that if we have been getting in the way, we can recognize it and with God’s help and the help of our brothers and sisters here we can be God’s instrument instead?

We thank you for listening this morning.  We thank you for being a part of the body of Christ that meets here.  If you are visiting we thank you for being here and hope you have gained insight into how we shepherds desire to serve God by leading this body of believers.  We hope you have gained some insight into where this congregation is headed in the next year, and understand that we have no agenda but God’s agenda.  We are but humble servants of God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We look forward to working the fields of harvest together with you.

You may have noticed most of the scriptural examples today have come from the Gospel of Matthew, our Book of the Year for 2013.  At the end of Matthew’s Gospel account we find Jesus telling his disciples“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Clearly this has not been your conventional sermon.  But the invitation to participate with God in making disciples by proclaiming the gospel and teaching them to obey His commands is the same today as it was nearly 2,000 years ago.

Maybe you are already a disciple and there is something in your life preventing you from being a good and faithful servant.  Maybe you are a good and faithful servant but want to do even more.  Maybe you are not a disciple but want to become one by putting our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on in baptism and having your sins washed away.  In a moment we will stand and sing a song of invitation.

It is not an invitation to embarrass you.  It is not an invitation meant to single you out, point fingers, or judge your heart.  No, it is an invitation to be loved and prayed for.  You can come forward and let us know or you can find us after the assembly and arrange a time for a more private setting.  Whatever your need, the lesson is yours as we stand and sing.

– May your blessings exceed mine today and every day.

DEM

The idea of reviewing your past is not a new one.  God renews his covenant with the Israelites in Exodus 34 as they resume their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.   The Israelite’s journey from Egypt to Jordan is reviewed in Numbers 33.  Joshua reviews Israel’s history in Joshua 24.  Nehemiah and Ezra remind the Israelites of their covenant and to keep God’s commandments, and the writer of Hebrews reviews the generations of faith and “cloud of witnesses” that have been part of God’s redemptive plan since time began.

With this in mind I thought I would use this post to list the shepherding lessons I have learned and shared thus far as I’ve studied shepherds in the Bible.  This will also be my last post for the year as our congregation heads in to a very busy time of preparing the soil now and for the year to come with our congregation’s participation in the Castle Rock Starlighting, planning to participte in next year’s Leadership Training for Christ, working with my fellow shepherds and shepherd “alumni” to create a leadership development process for the congregation, writing and delivering our Spiritual State of the Congregation charge, and a host of other activities that always develop at the end of the year.   I do however plan to continue writing next year about my personal joureny to become the best shepherd I can be for God and our congregation based on Bible lessons.  So, on with the review.

Since I started this blog in February I have posted 18 Biblical lessons that have helped my development of a shepherd for God’s people.  What follows is a short chronological summary of each.

1. Passing the Baton of Faith.  In a relay race, the runner of each leg must successfully pass the baton to continue the race to the finish.  The same goes for passing our faith from one generation to the next as described in Hebrews 11, which is achieved through incorporating our multi-generational value known as the “Vertical Slice” in the life of our congregation.
2. Leaders Take Responsibility.  In today’s society this is a simple, yet revealing characteristic of real leaders.  Those that shirk responsibility and blame others are bad leaders.  Those that accept responsibility for both good and bad (especially the bad) are like Moses in Exodus 32, who through God’s moulding and shaping was willing to give his life for the rebellious Israelites.
3. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.  Beuracracy stifles initiative and creativity and punishes those that think and act “outside the box”.  If you lead a congregation the same way you will also stifle that congregation.  It is one of the differences in leading and organization such as the military from which I retired and an organism such as the church (Romans 12) which I now shepherd.
4. All In.  Jesus was fully committed to fulfilling God’s will to be the sacrifice for our sins.  Just as Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to follow Him in Mark 1:16, we are called to follow Jesus with everything we have.
5. Return on Investment.  Investments take resources and attention to grow.  One of the Chief’s of Staff of the Army when I was serving stated our people are our greatest asset and we should invest in them.  Moses did this almost 4,000 years ago when he invested in developming Joshua to succeed him as the leader of the Israelites to conquer the Promised Land.  Moses’ investment took time (at least 40 years) to come to fruition.  Therefore, if we want to develop the next generation of Church leaders we must dedicate our time and resources to doing so.
6. A Better Pasture.  In Genesis 47, Jacob’s shepherds guided their flocks to better pastures so they could survive famine.  We should do the same for our flocks so they have a place to flourish.
7. God is My Shepherd.  Jacob is fully aware in Genesis 48 that God guided his life.  If we let him, God will guide ours as well.
8. The Shepherd’s Example.  In Numbers 27 Moses asks God to provide a successor and describes that successor as a shepherd.  As Moses describes the shepherd’s activities he defines for us what shepherding by example entails, from leading the flock to resting.  We shepherds usually aren’t very good at the resting part.
9. A Shepherd’s Heart.  David demonstrates shepherding is so much more than the “qualifications” found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.  It is about Godly character manifested in Godly action.
10.  The Road to Abilene.  Miciah dares to tell Ahab what he doesn’t want to hear in 1 Kings 22.  At times we have to tell people what they don’t want to hear, not because we want to, but because God demands it.  We also have to avoid groupthink while balancing unity and harmony to lead God’s people.

11.The Lord Will Build a House.  As God reminds Dvid and Nathan in 1 Chronicles 17,  we should consult God in prayer and study before any new undertakings, we must strive to attain God’s level and not bring Him down to ours, our church buildings are no more holy than the local store, and God is more than our best laid plans.

1. The Shepherd’s Shepherd.  Shepherding Lessons from the 23^rd Psalm.
2. The Only Constant.  As Abraham and Sarah found out, God provides, He provides to fit His plans and not ours so we better accept change, and we will be blessed if we place our faith in God.
3. The Best Offense.  Psalm 28 reminds us we are to protect God’s people, carry them through the difficult times, and do so with love, care, strength, and endurance.

15.The Shepherd’s Words.  Ecclesiastes 12 reminds us we should teach God’s people to have knowledge, this knowledge comes from God’s Word, and God’s Word should drive us to act.

1. Jeremiah “In Charge”.  In Jeremiah 17 we are to fulfill God’s Will even if it is not popular, by their very nature leadership roles are lonely ones, and leadership is a marathon, not a sprint.
2. A Better Future.  While most of the prophets are thought of in terms of “doom and gloom”, they also provided messages of hope.  Jeremiah does so in Jeremiah 31 and we should do the same for our flock collectively and each one of our sheep as the opportunity arises.
3. The Shepherd’s Cloak.  We will sacrifice all parts of our lives for our sheep, but at some point we have to let the rebellious ones go for the good of the flock.  In other words, we should wrap our cloaks around us and not embrace those that willingly leave the fold and defy our pleas of restoration.

I thank the handful of you that read my blog and thank the Lord for the opportunity to share my lessons with you.  May your blessings exceed mine today and all your days, and I will return next year.

– DEM

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing…”  Genesis 12: 1 – 2 (NASB)

Today is the first day of my Army retirement.  It is a significant transition in my life so I am going to digress slightly from my book-by-book study of shepherds and look briefly at applicable lessons from the life of Abraham.  I don’t think it is much of a stretch to discuss Abraham’s life within the boundaries of a shepherding study.  After all, Abraham had shepherds and probably did some time shepherding his father’s flocks while growing up.

Abraham and Sarah’s fascinating story of faith begins at the end of Genesis 11 and is set somewhere around 2000 B.C.  Abram (Abraham) is 75 years old and Sarai (Sarah) is 65.  Sarah is a beautiful woman even at this age (and older), however she is beyond normal child-bearing age.  In fact, though her beauty is emphasized in the scripture, she is introduced to us in Genesis 11:30 as “…barren; she had no child” (NASB).  The record begins with Abram and Sarai living in the eastern part of the Fertile Crescent during a time of turmoil.  The Sumerians have controlled the area from their capital city of Ur (south of present day Baghdad) for over 700 years, until overthrown by the Elamites.  This in turn creates the opportunity for the descendants of Noah’s son Ham, known as Amorites, to move east and occupy the area where Abraham lives with his father Terah, near Ur.  Abraham is Aramean, one of the descendants of Noah’s son Shem.  His family appears to be nomadic, much like the Bedouins living in that part of the world today.  We are introduced to Abraham (Abram) and Sarah (Sarai) in Genesis 11:31 – 32 when Terah (Abram’s father) takes his family from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan.  After traveling approximately 600 miles they arrive at Haran and for some reason settle there (Gen 11: 31-32).  Abraham’s father, Terah, dies in Haran and Abraham becomes the family patriarch (head shepherd, if you will).

The Bible goes on to record several significant events in Abraham and Sarah’s lives.   First, Abram receives God’s Promise (Gen 12:1-9) and charge to move from Ur to Canaan.  Shortly after they arrive in Canaan a famine drives them to Egypt and Pharaoh’s court,  where Abram survives lies about his relationship to Sarai.  Next, Abram and Lot split to resolve land disputes between their herdsmen.  The split proves to be disastrous for Lot, as he is captured during a war between five kings, including Sodom and Gomorrah, on one side and four kings on the other.  Abram rescues Lot, other captured people, and their goods.  Sometime later, Abram and Sarai decide to “help” God with his promise and the debacle with Hagar and Ishmael ensues.  When Abram is 99 years old, God makes his covenant and renames both Abraham and Sarah.  Abraham and Sarah then move to Gerar, lie about their relationship again almost causing Abimelech to commit adultery.  Shortly after surviving this incident Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah and Ishmael and Hagar are banished to God’s care.  Then Abraham’s defining moment comes when he prepares to sacrifice Isaac as commanded by God.  Abraham’s faith is rewarded and Isaac is spared.

So what are the lessons from Abraham’s life that are applicable to me on my first day of military retirement?  First, God provided Abraham the same vision that is applicable to us today.  God’s vision for Abraham was if he was faithful he would be blessed and his descendants would be a blessing to others.  This same vision is consistent throughout scripture as given to David (1 Chronicles 17, 2 Samuel 7), reiterated by the prophets, and manifested in Jesus Christ.  Jesus goes on to clarify God’s vision by giving us the mission to make disciples of those God puts in our path every day.  The neat thing is God knew each Christian and each congregation would be different, with different gifts, and therefore would have to figure out our part in fulfilling our disciple-making mission.  Sometimes, just like Abraham, figuring out our role takes a leap of faith.

My leap of faith to retire, with no guarantee of a job when we (trust me, my wife had as much input to the decision as I did) made the decision pales in comparison to the leaps of faith Abraham took in his life.  Still, I took that leap of faith because I knew God has used everything in our lives to prepare us to make this decision.  Even before we took that leap of faith God blessed us with a great congregation, the honor of serving the congregation as one of their shepherds, a great place to live, a great family, and many more blessings.  Now, we are blessed with a good solid job.  God has ALWAYS provided.

Second, Abraham and Sarah embraced change.  There is no doubt Abraham and Sarah experienced several changes in their lives.  Some they handled better than others.  They did not cope with changes well when they tried to control the situation and remove God from the equation (Pharaoh, Abimelech, Hagar and Ishmael come to mind).  With regard to Hagar and Ishmael, Abraham further compounds the problem by abdicating his leadership role and giving Sarah complete control of Hagar and Ishmael’s fate.  From these examples we learn the time to delegate leadership responsibility is not in the middle of a tumultuous situation, but when things are relatively calm and more predictable.  Shepherds must also discern when their actions are a result of not trusting God and seeking to control the situation according to their understanding instead of God’s will.

On the other side of the coin, Abraham and Sarah handled some changes well.  The 300 mile trek from Haran to Canaan and then to Egypt could not have been easy, nor would it have been easy to nearly sacrifice your son.  So how were they able to do it?  One way was they relied on family.  They experienced almost every event, both good and bad, together.  Coping with change is so much easier when the fear and anxiety of the unknown is shared among both our physical and spiritual family.  We can use each other to remind us of the blessings to come when we follow God’s will.  My wife and I are very good for each other in this regard.  My fellow shepherds and ministers are also great supports, as are some members in our congregation.  Abraham and Sarah also relied on previous experiences.  The move from Haran to Canaan was probably easier to plan, prepare, and conduct because Abraham and Sarah had been through it before when moving from Ur to Haran with Abraham’s father, Terah.  We too should draw on our own experience, the experience of our seasoned members, and the experiences of other shepherds to help us cope with tumultuous times.

Most importantly, Abraham and Sarah were most successful and blessed when they relied on God and the vision (His will) He gave Abraham.  There is a saying, “the only constant is change”.  While this statement is meant to assist us in coping with change, it is patently false in light of scripture.  It would be more accurate to say the only constant is God.  Hebrews 13:5-8 is just one of many passages illustrating the constancy of God, His Word, and His Son.  The entire Bible is one long narrative of God’s plan of redemption that has not changed.  And since no two changes are exactly alike, it is an oxymoron anyway to say that change is constant (and being a retired Military Intelligence officer, I know a thing or two about oxymorons!).  Changes do constantly occur, but God is the only constant for all of them.  It is up to us on whether we will seek to discern His involvement.

So the next time you encounter a significant emotional event of change in your life, remember the lessons of Abraham and Sarah.  Let us ask ourselves how the change will fit into God’s vision and mission for us.  Let us realize God will provide and bless our decisions if they are consistent with His will.  Let us embrace the change by recognizing it is another opportunity within God’s plan, God has provided others to assist us and even experience the change with us, and recognize we cannot abdicate our responsibility to shepherd through the changes.  Finally, let us realize God is there to lead us through every change, every step of the way, if only we will allow him to do so.  If we do these things, God will bless us.

May your blessings exceed mine today and all your days. – DEM

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”– Psalm 23:1 (NASB)

Everyone answers to someone.  There are many that think they don’t, but they are wrong.  I can remember conversations when a Soldier would tell me they were leaving the military because they didn’t want anyone telling them what to do.  I became amused after I would start asking the Soldier their plans for the future.  It usually boiled down to work or school.  Then I would ask them if they ever considered they would answer to an employer or an instructor.  Then there was always that “ah-ha” moment when the light bulb came on and they realized what I already knew, everyone answers to someone.

Granted, we may not answer right away, and by answer I mean reap the benefits or suffer the consequences of how we act, but we will answer at some point.  Children answer to their parents.  Parents answer to others for their children.  Parents also answer to each other, or their boss, or their customers if self-employed.  Soldiers answer to superiors, Generals answer to elected officials, and elected officials answer to the citizenry (at least in theory).

Likewise, and I am sure this will come as no surprise, we in the Church answer to each other and to God.  As shepherds of God’s people we will answer for how we led (Hebrew 13:17).  David recognized this on multiple occasions and captured it with what is probably the best known Psalm.  I find it both interesting and revealing that David, the most famous shepherd, referred to the Lord as his shepherd.

I hesitated to tackle these verses in my continuing personal study of shepherding.  You see these verses everywhere and I am sure what I write here will not be new.  Still, I realized I couldn’t avoid the most famous shepherding scriptures ever.  Instead, it is time to examine these verses and see what can be learned.  So here goes.

Is there any doubt we should want the Lord as our shepherd?  I mean, who in the Church wouldn’t, especially after reading the six verses that comprise Psalm 23?  I’m thinking if David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), want’s the Lord as his shepherd, who am I to differ?  But why did David want the Lord as his shepherd?  The simple answer is “well duh, He is God after all!”  While that is sufficient enough for me, there are still reasons contained in the remaining verses that bear further investigation.

The first reason for me is because God will lead us to a better future.  I am sure there are many reasons behind “green pastures” and “quiet waters”, but as a shepherd what stands out to me is they are representative of both the blessings we enjoy now as well as future blessings we will enjoy later.  Why will we “not want”?  Because we can be content (Philippians 4:11) knowing that God is leading us to a better future and will meet our needs along the way.  We shepherds should also realize God has entrusted us with providing a better future for our flock along the way.  I think this can be difficult at times and varied by congregation to some degree, but as long as the future fits God’s purpose we will be alright.  One way to a better future is providing an environment where we can “restore our souls” and meet the physical and spiritual needs of our flock to the best of our ability.

So how do we create this environment?  Well, according to Psalm 23, it seems we create this environment the same way the Lord does, by guiding in “paths of righteousness.”  I never thought of this before this study, but for there to be a path someone must have been there before.  Someone has to have walked that path and by doing so demonstrated they are leading by example.  If you continue that thought then verse 4 reveals where those paths lead.

Many a Soldier has left relative safety of a secure compound to travel through the valley of darkness and death.  A multitude of books will tell you the reason they leave safety and security is for their comrades.  A multitude of books will also tell you what they rely on when they are out in the valley is the mutual feeling of having each other’s back as well as their training.

The second reason to want God as our shepherd is so we have no fear.  Notice there is no promise of safety, there is no promise that you won’t be physically harmed as you travel the valley.  However, we should not fear because our training in God’s word should sustain us (1 Timothy 4:6).  We should not fear because our brothers and sisters go with us to face the same dangers (Galatians 6:2, Hebrews 11:35 – 40).  We should also not fear because, similar to the way sappers mark a safe passage through a minefield, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, has been there before (1 Peter 2:21) to mark a safe path for us.  We only need fear if we stray from the path of righteousness and into the minefield of sin.

We recently conducted our annual hike to the summit of a 14er (14,000+ foot mountaintop).  During the hike I took along a five foot long walking staff made of Alaskan Birch.  The night before the hike we joked about it being the “rod of discipline” (Proverb 22:15).  However, during the hike some of the young men and women I was with commented they would like to see a mountain lion try to attack me with my staff because they felt I would get the better end of the deal.  We can also learn the third reason for wanting God as our shepherd and a lesson about our own shepherding by the role of the rod and staff in verse 4.  In this case, like on my hike, they are a comfort, symbols of protection and strength.  I would rather be viewed with staff in hand this way.  I am confident we as leaders and shepherds should use the rod and staff for gentle nudging and encouragement before resulting to the final “rod of discipline” alternative (figuratively of course).

I was taught Middle Eastern tradition holds that even if your enemy is in your house you are to extend to them the same hospitality as a welcome guest.  I wonder if this was not what David had in mind with verse 5.  In fact, David indicates we will be honored in our enemy’s presence while on paths of righteousness.  So, the fourth reason to have God as our shepherd is that paths of righteousness will lead us to the spiritual high ground and corresponding moral high ground in any matter and if we stray we will walk into a minefield with potentially horrible consequences for the spiritual well-being of our flock.

As a leader I appreciate how David concludes the Psalm.  He tells us the next reason for following God as our shepherd on paths of righteousness is because goodness and mercy will follow in our wake.  What does that goodness and mercy look like?  I am not sure for every circumstance.  What I am sure of is goodness and mercy require action by people, and if we follow paths of righteousness we will influence our congregation to produce acts of goodness and mercy.   These are two great things to be known for in the local community.

Finally, David states we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  In this case “dwell” could also mean “return”.  Just as a Soldier returns to a safe haven after being on patrol, we have the promise of returning to what God intended for man in the first place, that better future of living eternally in a safe place with Him.  If we have served God properly as shepherds we will also guide others to the same as they conduct acts of goodness and mercy while they walk the same righteous paths, and so on for each consecutive generation (i.e. descendants following their ancestors of the Lord’s house) until Christ returns to claim His own.

May your blessings exceed mine today and all your days. – DEM