Finding and Flourishing in Your Place in the ChurchPrøve

COMPONENTS OF THE SHEEPFOLD (1): THE SHEPHERD The shepherd stands in a place of leadership and responsibility over the affairs of the sheepfold. A God-given pastor relates with people and their problems as God would, because nobody can know a person better than his Maker. A pastor does not operate like a prophet that sees visions or like the evangelist that commands the cripple to walk, but the big gift that God has placed over the pastoral office that is absent in others is the heart that a real father has for his children, which makes the pastor very keen and sharp in the spirit to the details of the life of the flock. As we talk of lawyers and doctors that are experts in their fields, the pastor is an expert in the situations in the lives of people and the souls of men. Standing in this office has nothing to do with one’s age but the divine equipment that God puts in the heart of the called. For the shepherd, there is a sense of ownership as he is accountable for the sheep. When God brings people to church, He does not give them a chair in church but a place in the pastor's heart. Just as God is carrying everybody in His heart, He gives a portion of that heart to a shepherd. It is when pastors do their work well that people enjoy atmospheres of peace, blessing, and such divine donations. When you see churches where the pastors are lazy, just enjoying, and feel too busy to do the work of God, the flock there suffers. PRAYER: Dear Lord, show me my God-given shepherd and help me to respond correctly to the person in Jesus’ name. Amen!