Good Shepherd

Shepherd

When I hear the word Shepherd I think of a story book and young King David. Images of David, as a little boy, sitting on a hill with a cane making sure the sheep didn't wonder off and Psalm 23:1, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."  

Sheep Follow

Sheep have a strong instinct to follow the sheep in front of them. When one sheep decides to go somewhere, the rest of the flock usually follows, even if it is not a good decision. For example, sheep will follow each other to slaughter. If one sheep jumps over a cliff, the others are likely to follow. Even from birth, lambs are conditioned to follow the older members of the flock. This instinct is ‘hard-wired’ into sheep. It’s not something they think about.

Good Shepherd

A good Shepherd will give his life for his Sheep. He will feed the sheep, bringing them to good pasture lands and water, grooming and clipping them, delivering new lambs, leading them and teaching them to stay together, going after the wandering lost ones, and protecting the sheep in the field.  This is why David said "The Lord is my Shepherd" 

Unfortunately, most of the people in this world have the characteristics of sheep!  There are far too many people who claim to be called to servant leadership, but demonstrate clearly that they are not qualified to be shepherds according to God's criteria.  Those of us who are called to be servants, or Shepherds, must take that responsibility seriously.  

Send Me

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 6:8 - Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 

I don't know if I am qualified, but I pray for God's strength in my life and in your life so that we can say, "Here am I, Send me!"