EVERY SPHERE
  • Home
  • About
  • Walking Points
  • A Far Green Country
  • Bible Studies
    • Old Testament Essentials
    • Ephesians: Growing Up in Christ
    • Sermons & Etc
    • Philippians
    • Costly Discipleship
    • Lord of All
    • Living Wisely in Turbulent Times
    • 1 Samuel
    • Gospel of John
    • A Different Gospel
    • Southside Life Group Studies
    • A Light Unto Our Path
    • The God We Worship
  • Podcast
  • Prayer Journal
    • Heidelberg Catechism
  • My Books
  • My YouTube
  • Other Resources
    • Spiritual Power
    • Spiritual Life Checkup
    • Spiritual Direction
    • Apologetics
    • Master Plan of Evangelism
    • Wesleyan Methodist Links
    • Favorites >
      • Pastoral Ministry
      • C.S. Lewis
      • Lewis and Schaeffer
      • Richard Baxter
      • The Puritans

A Shepherd's Heart

8/15/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
2 Corinthians 12:14–15, 19

Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. [15] So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening.

There are many examples of bad shepherds in the Bible with misguided motives and self-centered behavior. However, the Apostle Paul is by no means one of them. Like anyone placed in leadership, he was occasionally under suspicion. But his life was a continual witness to the purity and goodness of his motives and his obedience to his Lord.

Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that he did not want their possessions – their money and material goods, their power or influence – he wanted them. He had labored for this church and with them. He told them that not only would he spend his own money on them and give them what he had, but would even spend himself – his very being – for their sake. That’s how much he wanted to see them grow in grace.

Paul told them that all that he had done, and was doing, was for their strengthening. His desire was to build them up in the faith – to equip and edify them.

This should be at the heart of every shepherd of Jesus Christ. And that list of “every shepherd” is a long list indeed. For it is not merely those who have been ordained by the church who are shepherds, but those who are mothers and fathers, Bible study teachers and small group leaders, youth counselors and Vacation Bible School volunteers, just to name a few.

I wonder how many shepherds today are “spending and being spent” (as the KJV puts it) on behalf of their flock – those entrusted by God to their care. I wonder how many would look more like those chastised shepherds of the Old Testament who worked from unworthy motives.

Our checklist for this might look like this:

1.) Are we looking for a paycheck or are we looking to invest ourselves in people’s lives? A paycheck may be money, or attention, or seeking to be well thought of, or any number of things that put us at the center of the equation.

2.) Are we doing time or are we seeking to build up those in our care? Are we spending ourselves that others may see Christ in our very lives, or are we doing the minimal required and thus doing virtually no one any good at all?

Let us recommit ourselves to be faithful shepherds for our Good Shepherd, that we may be counted worthy to serve him.

Grace and Truth,
Dale


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    100 Godly Men
    Books
    Boyhood
    Burning Heart
    Catechesis
    Children
    Christ & Culture
    Christianity
    Christian Living
    Church
    C.S. Lewis
    Culture
    Devotional & Encouragement
    Discipleship
    Doctrine
    Evangelicalism
    Family
    Fatherhood
    Godly Manhood
    Gospel
    Husband
    Kingdom Discipleship
    Library
    Manhood
    Men
    Men's Ministry
    Mentoring
    Mercy
    Parenting
    Poverty
    Prayers
    Reading
    Right Path Devotions
    Sanctification
    Satan
    Social Justice
    Sons
    Southside United Methodist Church
    St. Patrick
    Study
    Theology
    Witness
    Worldview


    Archives

    September 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015


    RSS Feed

Click an image below to visit the bookstore

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
  • Home
  • About
  • Walking Points
  • A Far Green Country
  • Bible Studies
    • Old Testament Essentials
    • Ephesians: Growing Up in Christ
    • Sermons & Etc
    • Philippians
    • Costly Discipleship
    • Lord of All
    • Living Wisely in Turbulent Times
    • 1 Samuel
    • Gospel of John
    • A Different Gospel
    • Southside Life Group Studies
    • A Light Unto Our Path
    • The God We Worship
  • Podcast
  • Prayer Journal
    • Heidelberg Catechism
  • My Books
  • My YouTube
  • Other Resources
    • Spiritual Power
    • Spiritual Life Checkup
    • Spiritual Direction
    • Apologetics
    • Master Plan of Evangelism
    • Wesleyan Methodist Links
    • Favorites >
      • Pastoral Ministry
      • C.S. Lewis
      • Lewis and Schaeffer
      • Richard Baxter
      • The Puritans