Tender Shepherd

"The Meeting of Jacob and Rachel" by William Dyce (1806-1864)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 29:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept." Genesis 29:11


Today's reading paints a very human Jacob. A tent-dweller versus outdoorsman Esau, he was a mama's boy (Genesis 25:27-28). Now, due in no little part to his and his mother's cunning, he (at 40+ years - Genesis 24:34) was forced to leave home due to twin brother Esau's threats to kill him after Dad dies.

Traveling east, he arrived at a well where shepherds were gathered with their flocks. He inquired if they know his mother's brother Laban, and they did! Then, even as they were talking, who should come along but Laban's beautiful daughter Rachel with her father's flock.

Jacob promptly removed the stone from the well (he may have been the indoors type but was obviously no wimp), watered Rachel's flock, told her who he was, and kissed her in a patriarchal greeting, so overjoyed at finding his family he broke down in tears.

We know, from reading the whole story, how his trials were just beginning. But God had big plans for him. To put them in motion, Jacob needed to leave home and live under the discipline of Laban. Laban would give him a taste of his own treacherous nature and Jacob would, as a result, develop into a man of character. Unlike Esau who, intent on instant gratification, sold his birthright to quell hunger pains, Jacob would end up working 14 years for the girl he loves.

The happy 'coincidences' in today's reading did no doubt reassure Jacob, as he thought back on them years later, when he again felt Godforsaken. They would remind him that God had led him, caring for him tenderly and personally—the shepherd of a human sheep, if you will—all that time.

God is the same with us. For if we examine our histories we will see how God's hand has been with us too, moving the pieces on the game boards of our lives in the big things, like meeting our spouse, to the little, like reminding us that we need to drop by the store. As Jesus put it:

" ' My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.' " John 10:27,28.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for watching over me as closely as you watched over Jacob. Help me to remember this and be reassured when I feel alone and afraid. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do you know His voice?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 10:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." John 10:4

"If Christians do not know when God is speaking they are in trouble at the heart of their Christian lives," says Henry Blackaby in Experiencing God (Workbook p. 90).

In our passage today Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd leading a flock. The members of His flock, He assures the disciples, know His voice.

The Bible says a lot about God's voice — hearing it, recognizing it, responding to it. If we count ourselves members of His flock, we do well to study what the Bible says about these things, to make sure we do recognize that it's His voice we're hearing. From a brief (and incomplete) study, here are some distinguishing things about God's voice:

1. He first comes to you and me as a guest. Jesus asks ("if anyone hears My voice") to be given admittance to our lives (Revelation 3:20).

2. His voice is personal

• He knows your name and my name, and what drives us (Acts 9:3-5).

• His call is our opportunity to acknowledge Him and what He is to us (John 20:16).

• Listening to His voice becomes the key to our destiny, as Saul/Paul discovered - Acts 22:14.

3. His voice speaks words of life to our death (Luke 8:52-54; John 5:25).

4. His voice speaks truth (John 18:37).

5. His voice comes with probing questions - "What do you want me to do for you?" He asked the blind men (Matthew 20:32).

6. His voice may come to us in new tones. John heard it as a trumpet and as the sound of many waters (Revelation 1:10,15).

7. It is, above all, a loved, welcome, joy-inspiring voice (Song of Songs 2:8; John 3:29). We respond to it any time we hear it, even letting it awake us from sleep (Song of Songs 5:2).

8. It is a voice that we come to recognize as reliable, trustworthy, and safe to follow (John 10:4,16,27).

I ask myself, do I know God's voice in these ways? When He speaks, do I respond with quick obedience?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to always recognize Your voice and to be a fruitful hearer (Luke 8:15). Amen.

MORE: Respond Immediately

"When God spoke to Moses, what Moses did next was crucial. After Jesus spoke to the disciples, what they did next was paramount. What you do immediately after the Spirit of God speaks to you through His Word is critical. Our problem is that when the Spirit of God speaks to us, we want to debate. Moses engaged in a long discussion with God (see Exodus 3:11-4:13), and it limited him for the rest of his life. After that discussion Moses had to speak to the people through His brother Aaron (see Exodus 4:14-16).

Regularly review what you sense God has been saying to you. If God speaks and you hear but do not respond, a time could come when you do not hear His voice. Disobedience can lead to a "famine of hearing the words of the Lord" (Amos 8:11-12). - Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God Workbook, p. 96.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Leadership - it's not about me

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 34:1-166

TO CHEW ON: "Thus says the Lord God: 'Behold I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock that they may no longer be food for them'" Ezekiel 34:10

Is God here ranting against the men that are out in the Judean hillsides watching their sheep — actual shepherds? No. This is a diatribe against leaders of people who had failed to do what leaders should do. Looking over verses 1-10 we can discover what some of those failings were:

1. They were concerned primarily about themselves and not the people they led (Ezekiel 34:2).

2. They acted out this self-interest by ravaging the flock. They used their underlings for their own ends (Ezekiel 34:3).

3. They took no responsibility for their flock's health or well-being. They didn't look after its sick or hurt members and didn't go after the ones who went wandering or got lost. The result was a scattered, weak, sickly flock, vulnerable to any danger that came along from weather to wild animals, to wandering (Ezekiel 34:4-6).

4. They were held accountable and lost their jobs (Ezekiel 34:7-10).

This is a good warning to take to heart for those of us who lead in any capacity (in our churches as pastors, teachers, or small group leaders, in society as presidents, committee heads or coaches, in our homes as parents and grandparents). When we turn God's four scolds of Israel's irresponsible leaders into positives, we have a template for our own leadership. Good leadership is:


1. Concerned primarily with the well-being of those who follow.

2. Untainted by motives of personal gain.

3. All about responsibility.
Of course the look of this will be different for the different kinds of shepherding we do. For the spiritual leader of people — say as a small group leader in church — it might involve making sure you have some good spiritual food prepared for your next meeting, listening to your people to discover their hurts and challenges, phoning the ones who are absent, visiting the sick ones in hospital, bringing meals to the home where Mom has just had a baby, getting other healthy members involved in the care of the flock so it doesn't all fall on your shoulders...

4. Expecting to be held accountable. How much better to hear His "Well done, good and faithful servant" than that you've lost your flock and your job because you weren't a good shepherd!


PRAYER: Dear God, please put within me the heart of a good leader/shepherd who thinks of others first before myself. Help me to demonstrate servant leadership whenever I lead. Amen.

MORE: Advice to leaders

Michael Hyatt,  a speaker and author who writes often about leadership this advice to his successor as  CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing in 2011 It is good advice to anyone who is a leader:

1. Your position is a role not your identity.


2. Your position is temporary not permanent.


3. Your position is a privilege not a right.


4. Your position is about faithfulness not achievement.


5. Your position is about them not you.


6. Your position is about stewardship not ownership.


7. Your position will require more than you can provide on your own.

Read all of "Advice to a New CEO (or to any Leader)" to see how he expands on each of these points.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A lost sheep story

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 34:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "For thus says the Lord God: 'Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.'" Ezekiel 34:11-12


Trish told her story from the baptismal tank. After getting involved in drugs, she and her husband had accepted Jesus. They got clean and began attending a church, grew a family, had a house and a business. Then one day they started using again. Soon they were separated, the kids in the care of Social Services, the house gone, business gone. That's the state Trish found herself in one evening in August 2009 when she was wandering the streets of Abbotsford. She had even lost her shoes.

Through a video, James told his part of the story. He had just finished drumming a music set as part of a Christian band and stepped outside for a few minutes before going back into the service. On a short walk he met Trish. He talked to her and, noticing she had no shoes, gave her the extra pair he carried in the trunk of his car. "I prayed for her, wished her well and thought I'd never see her again," he said.

Trish's life continued to go downhill. She got into detox but lasted only a few days. Finally, later in fall, she decided to try detox again. After phoning fifty places, she found two with openings. One was in Surrey. Hope House was in Langley. She opted for the Surrey one, but when the friend who drove her there saw people shooting up right outside but premises, she said, "I'm not leaving you here," and drove her to Hope House.

The first few days were the hardest Trish had ever gone through. She battled constant feelings of wanting to give up and leave. How could she ever tough this out for the time it would take? "Give me a sign," she prayed.

Hope House takes a busload of people to our church for Sunday night Recovery  Church. When she got there she couldn't believe her eyes because there on stage, drumming for the worship band, was James, the guy who had given her his shoes and prayed for her a few months earlier.

That was sign enough for her. She stuck with the program and got baptized in May 2010.

I love stories like this, that remind us of God's creativity in seeking out scattered sheep. Do you have such in your family or among your acquaintances -- prodigals, backsliders, those who have till now resisted His call altogether? Claim his promise for them today: "I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick." Ezekiel 34:16a

PRAYER: Dear God, I pray for the scattered sheep in my life (by name______). Please seek them out and deliver them from all the places they are scattered. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sheep that hear

Jesus the Good Shepherd - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 10:7-30

TO CHEW ON: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know then, and they follow Me." John 10:27

I've thought a lot about what Jesus says here—that His sheep hear His voice. I've asked questions like, 'Is my thought God's voice or my own idea? When I make a decision on what I think is God's voice and things don't turn out as I had hoped they would, does that mean I wasn't hearing God's voice after all?'

Here are some of the things the Bible says about God's voice:

• It strikes terror into the heart of sinners (Genesis 3:8), arrests them (Acts 9:3,4), and asks for entrance (Revelation 3:20).

• Sometimes God's voice comes with power (Psalm 29:4).

• Sometimes it is glorious (Isaiah 30:30).

• And sometimes it is "still" and "small" (1 Kings 19:12).

• It can be misunderstood (John 12:28,29).

• It sifts people in relation to truth and falsehood (John 19:37).

• In our reading it assures those who hear that when they follow Jesus, they follow a good shepherd who cares about their welfare.

There's another interesting verse about the voice of God that describes how He often works in my life. Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) says: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'this is the way; walk in it.'"

I'm always wanting guidance—wanting to know what the next step is before I take it. Wanting to be sure I'm following the right voice. This verse is interesting in that it implies God sometimes guides from behind: "Your ears will hear a voice behind you..."? How does that work?

There are forks in the road. Do we go right or left? This verse seems to say we make a decision, take the steps, and listen for the 'voice behind us,' willing to make adjustments if that is what He says.

I've experienced this. Sometimes I've taken on writing assignments for the simple fact that I've finished the last project and this one came along at just that time. There were no prophetic words, voices or holy thrills—not even a scripture verse on which to hang my hat. Not uncommonly I'll question whether I've made the right decision, especially when the writing gets tough or the piece gets turned down. Later, much later sometimes, I'll get confirmation that the project was a 'God thing' (it finally gets accepted, I get an email or note from someone saying it blessed them, it wins a prize, gets republished).

As far as I can see, this hearing the voice of confirmation behind us is the way we often live the life of faith. Your thoughts?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to hear and recognize Your voice today.

MORE: More about voice recognition.

Researchers have discovered that mother goats recognize the voice of their kids shortly after birth and retain that memory for at least a year. I couldn't find any research that said the kids recognized the nanny goat's voice, or  about how sheep do in this department.

Want to read more about the spiritual implications of our focus verse? Check out "The Sheep and Their Shepherd a sermon by Charles Spurgeon.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Jesus - Shepherd

"The Lamb" by Stephen Sawyer
Used with permission
www.ART4GOD.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 40:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "He will feed His flock like a shepherd;

He will gather the lambs with His arm,

And carry them in His bosom,

And gently lead those who are with young." Isaiah 40:11

The picture of Jesus as our shepherd is, of all the ways He is depicted throughout the Bible, perhaps the most comforting. From Psalms to Revelation, this metaphor keeps recurring. It shows us that Jesus is:

• Providing

"THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters" (Amplified - Psalm 23:1-2)

• Tender

"He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
      He will carry the lambs in his arms,
   holding them close to his heart.
      He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young"  (New Living Translation - Isaiah 40:11).

• Sacrificial

"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary" (Message - all John 10, especially verse 11)

• Risen

" Now may the God of peace—
      who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
   the great Shepherd of the sheep,
      and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
 may he equip you with all you need
      for doing his will" (New Living Translation - Hebrews 13:20-21).

• Seeking

"God, the Master, says: 'From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I'm going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I'm going after my sheep. I'll rescue them from all the places they've been scattered to in the storms'" (Message - Ezekiel 34:11).

• Welcoming the wanderers

"You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls" (Message - 1 Peter 2:25).

• Crowning the faithful

"And [then] when the Chief Shepherd is revealed, you will win the conqueror's crown of glory"  (Amplified - 1 Peter 5:4).

• Shepherding us in eternity

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne
   will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
   ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (NIV - Revelation 7:17).

So, if you are in need, He promises to provide. If you are hurting, He will be tender with you. If you have loved ones who have never found Him, or have wandered away, He is seeking them and will welcome them back. If you are weary, He awaits in eternity with your crown, a hug and a Kleenex for your tears.

How do you need Him to be your shepherd today?


PRAYER: Thank You for this wonderful picture of Your care for me as my Shepherd. Help me to be a responsive, obedient sheep today. Amen.

MORE: Handel's Messiah

I can't read this chapter of Isaiah without hearing the great strains of many of the songs from Handel's Messiah:

"Comfort Ye My People"


"Every Valley"


"And the Glory"


"He Shall Feed His Flock"

Of shepherds and sheep

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 10:1-21

TO CHEW ON: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep…. I am the good shepherd; and I know my sheep and am known by my own.” John 10:11,14

I find few passages in the Bible more comforting than the shepherd and sheep ones. Of those, John 10 where Jesus describes Himself as the good shepherd ranks right up there with Psalm 23. Let’s look at this first half of John 10 to see what we can discover about our divine shepherd.

1. Jesus, our shepherd, has a legitimate claim to us. The flock’s real shepherd doesn’t need to sneak into the sheepfold to get access to the sheep or convince them to follow him. They are his possession. He can come through the door and relate openly to then. As our spiritual shepherd, Jesus bought the rights to us when He died and paid our ransom. He is our rightful owner. Of course it’s up to us to decide if we want Him to shepherd us, or not.

2. A good shepherd knows his sheep intimately, inside and out, and by name. The sheep recognize his voice and trust him enough to follow. This is how well Jesus knows us. He is trustworthy and we can follow Him with confidence.

3. Jesus calls himself the door of the sheep. I remember years ago a Sunday School teacher telling how a shepherd would station himself at the door of the sheepfold, place his staff across the entry, and watch/count as each sheep bounded over his staff, into the fold. Describing himself as the door is Jesus’ picturesque way of telling us, we come to God through Him; there is no other way.

4. Jesus has good intentions toward His sheep. He said, “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (abundantly: perissos = superabundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus over and above, more than enough profuse, over the ordinary, more than sufficient).

5. Jesus is a good shepherd. He says that several times, and we get the message: there are bad shepherds. Just before Jesus launched into this teaching, he was talking to the Pharisees. He called them blind leaders (John 9). Here He describes bad shepherds as hirelings. They lead because it’s their paid job. But when things get tough, they scatter and leave the sheep defenseless. The intention of some false shepherds is to actually steal, kill and destroy the sheep. Jesus is not like that. He has gone to the extent of giving His life for His sheep.

6. The shepherd and sheep share a deep and lasting relationship.

“As the Father knew the Son and loved him, so Christ knows his sheep, and has a watchful tender eye upon them. As the Son knew the Father, loved and obeyed Him, so believers know Christ.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary – Zondervan, 1961, p. 1564.

Is Jesus your shepherd? Do you recognize His voice? Do you obey – knowing that His intentions toward you are only good. Spend some time today thinking of Jesus as your shepherd and what kind of a sheep you are.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to follow you as a sheep follows the shepherd he loves and trusts. Help me to be a good shepherd to the people who look to me for leadership. Amen.

MORE:

“The Lord’s My Shepherd” (Stuart Townend version)

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.