Ezekiel 34.11 “‘For
this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I Myself will search for My sheep and
look after them." – God
Somebody has to do it – somebody has to be the leader.
Today, our nation is involved in one of the most brutal political campaigns in
our history – the stakes have never been higher. Somebody needs to come as a leader
and shepherd of this nation. That doesn’t mean a king. That doesn’t mean a
ruling class, but somebody needs to lead. Somebody. Anybody?
In Israel’s early days God stood with them every day. God
loved them and cared for them, but they wouldn’t return the favor. The
appointed leaders became more interested in power and influence than caring for
the people. And can you blame them; caring for people is abysmally hard work.
Somebody has to do it.
But people need to be cared for and it takes more than a
king to do it. Ezekiel prophesied of the Lord’s leadership and Jesus came and
announced He was the Good Shepherd. He was the Shepherd who cared about the
sheep and would go to dramatic lengths to prove it. God did what He said.
Most leaders nowadays are more interested in perks, than
people. I think that tendency is
centuries old. Human leadership, for the most part, is not servant leadership.
But like raising sheep (or small children) the necessity of servant leadership
is desperately needed in our day. When God said we are like sheep without a
shepherd He knew how desperately we need to be led. The pinnacle of His
creation was designed for leadership.
God sent Jesus to serve. God sent Jesus to be a ransom
for many. God sent Jesus to shepherd His people back to Him. And God is looking
for leaders to lead with the spirit of Jesus in them. God will shepherd His people by using His people, to shepherd His people.
Tonight, I get to hang out with a bunch of kids. Part of my
M.O. is to teach them how to be servant leaders. Part of my calling is to raise
them up to be the leaders they are called to be when we “olders” pass off the
scene. Servant-leadership is all about mentoring the young to grow up and become
servant leaders. God will help, and God will assist, but the calling never
stops, and the need for servant leadership will only end when Jesus comes back
to gather His own.
Father, lead and guide
me to serve the children I will be with this year. Help me to remember that
they are just kids, but they are called to be the servant-leaders of tomorrow.
May I lead by example and may I be successful in helping them see why you have
placed them on earth – to lead and guide Your people. Amen
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