"The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them."
Ezekiel 34:4
This chapter is directed to shepherds, which could be interpreted as religious leaders, but since the chapter previous to this refers to a similar group as watchmen, I'm guessing that this just means leaders in general, or people in positions of authority over anyone. God states that we, as leaders, have let a lot of people fall through the cracks, and we haven't strengthened, healed, helped, or found them, but instead just tried to get our own way.
In verse 16, God tells us that he will right all of these wrongs, and destroy the bad shepherds. Lest we feel that God isn't talking to us, however, he adds in the next verse "And as for you, O my flock..." which definitely includes us. :)
He tells us that as a flock we have eaten up the good pasture and then trampled and spoiled the rest, and that we have "thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad" (verse 18-21).
All of this kind of seems like the basics... we need to learn to sincerely care about the people around us and not just surreptitiously move them aside so we can get our way. ... However, the basics aren't always easy. We often really care about a few people, but loving everyone sincerely is a lot harder.
Today, maybe a first step would be thinking about what else we can do for someone. We get pretty used to doing a minimum amount and not taking those extra steps, even though we know they are there. Today, let's change that and actually go out of our way for someone we wouldn't normally do that for. Let's try to help and restore and show kindness, whether we are leaders or just fellow flock members. :) If we practice doing just a little bit more for a few more people, and we pray and ask Christ to help us know how to love people better, he will teach us, and our capacity for love will increase as we learn and practice and grow. :)
Ezekiel 34:4
This chapter is directed to shepherds, which could be interpreted as religious leaders, but since the chapter previous to this refers to a similar group as watchmen, I'm guessing that this just means leaders in general, or people in positions of authority over anyone. God states that we, as leaders, have let a lot of people fall through the cracks, and we haven't strengthened, healed, helped, or found them, but instead just tried to get our own way.
In verse 16, God tells us that he will right all of these wrongs, and destroy the bad shepherds. Lest we feel that God isn't talking to us, however, he adds in the next verse "And as for you, O my flock..." which definitely includes us. :)
He tells us that as a flock we have eaten up the good pasture and then trampled and spoiled the rest, and that we have "thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad" (verse 18-21).
All of this kind of seems like the basics... we need to learn to sincerely care about the people around us and not just surreptitiously move them aside so we can get our way. ... However, the basics aren't always easy. We often really care about a few people, but loving everyone sincerely is a lot harder.
Today, maybe a first step would be thinking about what else we can do for someone. We get pretty used to doing a minimum amount and not taking those extra steps, even though we know they are there. Today, let's change that and actually go out of our way for someone we wouldn't normally do that for. Let's try to help and restore and show kindness, whether we are leaders or just fellow flock members. :) If we practice doing just a little bit more for a few more people, and we pray and ask Christ to help us know how to love people better, he will teach us, and our capacity for love will increase as we learn and practice and grow. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment