November 16, 2024 -Leading the Flock

EZEKIEL 33:1-34:31

HEBREWS 13:1-25

PSALM 115:1-18

PROVERBS 27:21-22

One Year Bible Audio & Daily Reading (oneyearbibleonline.com)

Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

The sacrifice that pleases God is a sacrifice of praise, doing good and sharing with others. When we make praise our priority so much that it is a sacrifice our relationship with Him deepens more and more. As our relationship deepens, doing good and sharing with others should be put on our heart. But is it done to the point of sacrifice? These are the sacrifices that please God.

Hebrews 13:17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

My first thought when I read this verse was our leaders in all things including government and work. But as I read on, I am thinking it may apply more likely to those in our churches. They are the ones who "keep watch over" us. Christian leadership is held to a higher standard. This is one of the things they will have to give an account for. When we have confidence in our church leadership their "work will be a joy not a burden". There are many different kinds of leadership in the church. From Pastor and elders to teachers and small group leaders. I think the key to having confidence in our leadership is to have confidence in Christ and to pray for our leadership to do the same. How we treat our leadership in the church is a reflection of how we trust in God. If we believe that God is truly in control and that He has placed all people in authority into the position that they are in then we have to trust that He has a plan and a purpose and a way to use all those people to accomplish it. If we are trusting God and praying for our leadership to come humbly before Him and seek His will and we demonstrate that faith by showing confidence in our leadership they are more likely to lead as Christ would have them lead.

Ezekiel 34:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?

The Israelites leadership were called to account for their poor keeping of their sheep. And our leadership with be called to account as well. Even when our human imperfect leadership lets us down we do not need to fear. We can still have confidence in them because we have confidence in Christ.

Ezekiel 34:11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.

The Sovereign Lord (All Powerful Lord who has ALL the authority) gave the Israelites His promise and fulfilled it for us all through His Son, to search for the lost sheep and to look after us. So even when our human leadership disappoints us, we can have confidence that Christ is our Good Shepherd and, in His Sovereignty, He will look after us.

May my heart change and my confidence be found in You so much that I can also have full confidence in our church leadership. Even when things don't happen the way I think they should or when there are sheep that are lost because of their leadership I have confidence that they are not lost to Christ even when they are lost to our church building. I can also trust that You will use all things to Your glory if I will but trust in You. Amen