Follow the Shepherd

Have you been around a group of people without a leader? Have you been around a group of people with good leadership? Have you noticed the difference? Was the leaderless group disorganized and at odds with one another? Was the other group all moving in the same direction?

Poor leadership or no leadership will keep an organization or group of people from achieving what they set out to accomplish. In fact, poor leadership can be worse than no leadership. If there is no leadership, a leader may emerge from the group and guide them to their goal.

Jesus sees the people of the towns and villages He visits as people without a shepherd. This is the same as having no leader or very poor leadership. He wasn’t talking about accomplishing a goal but about life. Evidently, they were not worshiping God correctly or at all.

Lest we think worshiping God is about form, we must remember Jesus spoke of the heart. Worshiping God is not about rituals. It is about worshiping in truth and spirit. Worshiping God is not about being in big, beautiful cathedrals. It is about humbling ourselves before a Holy God in all that we do, every moment of every day.

Jesus saw these people going through the motions, but their heart was not in it. He saw them grudgingly choosing a lamb for sacrifice, perhaps even grumbling about it, rather than joyously looking for the best animal for their perfect God. He had compassion for them, seeing them as lost sheep.

We can see the same attitudes in our churches today. We can get wrapped around the rituals, the traditions, or go grudgingly. We may see some people who view the church as a social club. Jesus does not desire a social club. He desires hearts who submit themselves to His guidance. Are we sheep without a shepherd? We might need to ponder that question for a bit.

I pray we all humble ourselves before God. I pray we worry less about ritual and more about the heart. I pray each one of us evaluate our reasons for attending church and allow Jesus to be our shepherd. Humble yourself before God. Give your heart to Jesus. Put your faith in Jesus. Follow Jesus’ heart. Give God every moment of every day.

Matthew 9:35-36 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Burning for Jesus

What are you passionate about? Are you passionate about your job? Are you passionate about your health? Are you passionate about your children? What is it that causes you to explode with energy and bubble over with excitement?

Many of us will answer affirmatively to one or more of the questions above. I know. I’ve been there. It is not that we should not be excited or passionate about those things. But what or who should we be even more passionate about? Jesus.

There may be a few of us who can say that we have had a very personal encounter with Jesus or with the Holy Spirit. We may have had a vision or heard a voice. We may have felt compelled by the Spirit to do something God is leading us to.

However, so, so many of us have not. Not only that, but the mention of Jesus or discussions about Him do not excite us. We are ho-hum or humdrum or indifferent. Do not misinterpret, we do not have to show our excitement by talking. No, it is more about how our hearts react. Does our pulse quicken? Do we feel more alive?

We can be just like the two disciples who met Him on the road to Emmaus. Our hearts can burn within us. Our spirits can leap for the sky. Our minds can go into overdrive thinking of all the things He has done for us. We can be very excited without saying a word. On the other hand, we can be very excited and feel compelled to tell everyone we encounter about Him. Are you either one of those? Or, are you indifferent?

I pray we all get excited about Jesus. I pray we feel the Holy Spirit lift us out of the humdrum of the world when we think of Him. I pray each one of us becomes passionate about Jesus. Be passionate about Jesus. Be excited about Jesus. Leap for joy. Allow Jesus to burn in your heart. Tell others about Jesus.

Luke 24:32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

Eyes Opened

Are you blind to certain things? Do you miss out because you do not notice them? What does it mean to you to have your eyes opened? Is it like turning on a light switch in a dark room? Have you opened your eyes to who Jesus is? Do you see Him for all that He is?

There are times when we miss out because we are not looking. Perhaps we see blindly. Perhaps we take no notice. We may be looking but not truly seeing. It is only after someone else points it out that we notice. Then we wonder how we missed it to begin with.

Some people can look at clouds and see various shapes. Others see nothing but puffy white things. There are a variety of pictures that can viewed from different angles or frame of mind to see different objects. For instance, there is one that depending on how you look at it, you may see a beautiful young woman or an old witch. If we see one and someone points out the other, we see what we had missed before.

Jesus tells the Apostle Paul that he is being sent to open the eyes of the non-Jews so they can be saved. The Gentiles knew of a higher being or believed in multiple gods. God had not yet revealed himself to them through missionaries with the sole purpose of telling them about himself. Paul is being sent out to do just that.

God is using Paul to carry out his mission. He is using Paul to bring the message of redemption and salvation to the world. Paul will be given the ability to overcome the belief in other gods, but only for those people who are open to hearing his message. With God’s help Paul is very effective in carrying out his mission.

I pray we all have our eyes opened to Jesus. I pray we also desire to help open the eyes of others. I pray each one of us recognize the need to share Jesus with others and overcome their hesitancy. Open your eyes. Seek to know Jesus. Share the gospel of Jesus. Help others come to belief in Him.

Acts 26:17-18 “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Reflection Required

How well do you connect the dots? As events happen, do you see how they are connected? Do you see the larger picture taking shape? Or do you simply go from one thing to another without noticing the connection? Have you thought that God works through events to steer you where he wants you to go?

Many things happen around us every day. Most of them are small and appear to be inconsequential. Others are significant and have an immediate impact on us. We are more likely to pay closer attention to the more impactful events and give less attention to the small ones.

Hindsight can give us the perspective we need to put the pieces together. As we review what has happened over the course of a few days or a few years, we can see what occurred to steer us down the path we traveled. The path may a very good path or it may be a path we would not have chosen had we known in advance where we would end up.

We can look at Scripture and wonder how the disciples missed what was going on as they spent time with Jesus. But would we have seen the bigger picture ourselves? Likely we would not have. Yet, we can learn a lesson from them. We should learn the lesson of reviewing the events that have taken us where we are and determine where we are headed.

Jesus had fed thousands with very little food. So, when He spoke of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, the disciples missed the point. They were thinking of food and Jesus was speaking of their teaching. They thought it was because they did not have enough food for their journey, He was unconcerned with food.

We can get caught up in the moment, thinking only of what is immediately before us. God works on a much broader canvas. He is creating and directing on a larger scale. Though we cannot see the full picture God sees, we can see a larger picture in our lives. We do that by taking time to reflect on the past and putting the pieces together.

I pray we all take time for reflection. I pray we review what has happened in our lives. I pray each one of us put our faith in God and see how he is working in our lives. Connect the dots. Put the pieces together. See a bigger picture. See where you are headed. See how God is working. Put your faith in him.

Matthew 16:8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?”

Breaking Bread Together

Is it important to you to eat meals together? How many meals per week do you have with your family? Do you sit down together for your supper, even if you cannot the other meals? Do you participate in fellowship meals at the church you attend?

Sitting down to eat meals together has become a challenge. Our children are playing various sports, taking dance or music lessons, our jobs may require us to work late, and we have grown tired. For many of us, we have lost a precious opportunity to spend time with our families.

Fellowship is also important for Christians. It may include having a meal together or simply sitting down to talk for a while. It is important to do so. It is in fellowship that we get to know one another, hear how God is working in their lives, and grow together in our faith. We were created by God to be in fellowship.

In the early church, they were devoted to fellowship. Lest we think these were the one-hour worship services we have today, they were not. The early Christians met for a large portion of the day. True, they came together to hear a message, but they also had a meal together, partook of the Lord’s Supper, prayed together, and they continued fellowship for a few hours. They also often would baptize new members, welcoming them into the fellowship.

We would do well to slow ourselves down on Sunday’s and spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Rather than rushing into worship at the last minute and rushing out before the final note of the postlude is struck, spend some time with one another. Share your struggles and your joys. Share how God is working in your life and listen to how he is working in others. This is a key contributor to growing closer to God.

I pray we all slow down, especially on Sunday’s. I pray we spend time with our brothers and sisters. I pray each one of us will make time to sit down to a meal with our families. Slow down. Spend time in fellowship. Enjoy a meal with family. Spend time together in prayer. Partake of the Lord’s Supper. Listen to how God is working.

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Exponential Fulfillment

What do you think of people who claim to predict the future? Do you cast their predictions aside? Or do you adhere to their predictions? Have you heard someone predict something was going to happen and it did? Have you heard someone falsely predict the future?

There are tons of predictions given by thousands of people. Some of them valid. Many of them invalid. Those that are valid are typically based on historical data, trends are identified, and forecasts are made. The more reliable the data, the more reliable the prediction.

We often make predictions ourselves. The data we use is often our very own experiences. The older we get, the more experiences we have to base our predictions on. Perhaps that is why the wise person is often portrayed as being an older person. But age alone does not make one wise. It requires putting together our experiences and casting aside our preferences to make an objective prediction.

On the other hand, there are hundreds of prophecies, predictions, foretelling’s, about Jesus from the prophets of the Old Testament. Depending on how they are counted, Jesus fulfilled between 300-500 prophecies. According to mathematician Peter Stoner, the odds of Jesus (or any person) to have fulfilled just 8 of the prophecies was astronomical. By his calculations, with the aid of several students from a handful of his university classes, the odds are the same as if we covered the state of Texas with silver dollars two feet deep, marked one silver dollar, mixed them all up, blindfolded a person, and gave them one chance to choose the marked silver dollar. As more prophecies are added, the odds increase exponentially.

Matthew purposely highlights the fulfillment of several prophecies in his gospel. His purpose is to convince his Jewish audience that Jesus was the coming Messiah they had been waiting for. His recording of the fulfillment should also convince us who Jesus is. We have eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy, not the least of which was Him being raised from the dead three days after being crucified.

I pray we all believe Jesus is who He says He is. I pray we believe Jesus is the Son of God. I pray each one of us will trust the eyewitness accounts and strengthen our faith in Jesus. Trust the eyewitnesses. Believe Jesus is the Son of God. Put your faith in Him. Accept Him as Savior. Make Him your Lord.

Matthew 12:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

Listen Carefully

Do you believe in conspiracy theories? Are you continually looking for a hidden meaning in what someone says? Or do you fail to look beyond the surface? Do you only hear what you want to hear? Are you seeking truth? Or are you merely looking for what you want?

We don’t have to look hard to find people who espouse conspiracy theories. They believe everything is a conspiracy. Others will dismiss every potential conspiracy theory as a hoax. They take everything at face value and will not look beyond the surface.

There is often a happy medium between these two extremes. There will be times when face value is all there is to it. There will be times when there is a hidden meaning. There are times when people are careful to use words that do not reveal everything. They speak in code or innuendo or allusion. They may be trying to say something by hinting at it rather than saying it bluntly.

Jesus used metaphors and parables at times in His teaching. When He told the disciples to be wary of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, He was not talking about bread but their teaching. We, too, must be careful when listening to some people. There are some who will purposely lead us astray. There are others who will speak just enough truth to make themselves believable.

When Jesus spoke plainly to the disciples about the Pharisees and Sadducees, I’m sure they were caught off guard. The disciples were brought up to trust them. Jesus is now telling them their teaching was not fully true. Their teaching was misleading and included misunderstanding.

When we desire to hear truth, we need to listen closely and discern if what we are hearing is truth, allusion to truth, or falseness. In seeking truth, we may find ourselves overwhelmed, dumbstruck, hurt, joyous, or confused. When we seek the truth, we must prepare ourselves to receive it openly, setting aside our perspective and our feelings.

I pray we all seek truth. I pray we listen closely and understand the meaning. I pray each one of us will seek truthful counselors and conduct our own research to find truth. Seek the truth. Be aware of hidden meanings. Know who you can trust. Do your research. Know you can trust Jesus.

Matthew 16:11 “How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Do Not Be Led Astray

What have you heard about Jesus? What teachings about Him are you listening to? Are you verifying the teachings are true? Have you heard someone teaching something other than the gospel message? Are you reading the Bible? Do you know the good news of Jesus?

There are many teachers of the Bible among us. There are many who will simply repeat a story they have heard without verifying it. Believing what someone is teaching or repeating can be dangerous. We need to know the story of Jesus and verify what others are saying.

Being led astray is not something we can afford to let happen. We need to know the story of Jesus, at least enough to not be led astray. We need to know that He is God, He was born of a virgin, He walked this earth teaching, He performed miracles, He died on a cross, He was buried, He rose on the third day, and He appeared to hundreds after His resurrection.

Sometimes we get sidetracked in the minutiae. We argue over whether there was one woman at the empty tomb or many. We argue over whether we drink from one cup or many. We argue over how many hymns should be sung in worship and how long the worship service should be. What does this tell us? We’ve missed what is important. What is important is we agree on who Jesus is.

Jesus is our Savior. He died so we may be forgiven of our sins. He rose on the third day to give us hope and salvation. He lived among us to show us what it means to have a personal relationship with God. He taught us who God is so we would accept Him as Lord. When we accept Jesus as our Savior and follow Him as our Lord, knowing who He is deep within our hearts, we will not be led astray.

I pray we all know who Jesus is. I pray we verify the teachings we hear so as not to be led astray. I pray each one of us accept Jesus as both Savior and Lord, following His teachings. Know who Jesus is. Know God’s Word. Verify the teachings you hear. Do not be led astray. Accept Jesus as Savior. Follow Jesus as Lord.

Galatians 1:6-8 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!

Rejoice Always

Do you rejoice in your knowing that Jesus has risen from the dead? What does rejoicing mean to you? Is rejoicing only the feeling of happiness? Does rejoicing include making a choice? Would you believe it means both?

We often think of rejoicing as experiencing happiness or gladness. When something occurs that makes us happy, we rejoice. When we or a family member achieves a significant accomplishment, we rejoice.

But the rejoicing we often see within the gospels and letters of the New Testament also includes a choice. We can choose to rejoice. In fact, we are encouraged to rejoice in the Lord. This means we must choose to rejoice in Him, even when things do not go our way.

The disciples rejoiced in seeing Jesus after His resurrection. They rejoiced with Him in their presence. Yet, they learned not long afterward that they were to rejoice even when He left them. They were to rejoice because of what He had accomplished for them.

Therefore, we are also to rejoice. We are to rejoice by remembering that Jesus died and rose again for us. We are to rejoice in His promises. We are to rejoice in His teachings. We are to rejoice in knowing we will spend eternity with Him. As Paul states in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

I pray we all rejoice in the Lord. I pray we choose to rejoice even when things do not go our way. I pray each one of us remembers what Jesus has done for us and rejoices. Rejoice in the Lord. Choose to rejoice. Remember Jesus. Know that He loves you. Know that He lives for you.

John 20:6-7 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 

Be a Blessing

Do you bless others? Have you spent time thinking how you can bless someone else? Have you thought about blessing someone in need? Have you thought about blessing someone with a disability? Do you only bless others if you think you are getting a reward?

Blessing others may come natural to some of us. However, most of us will think about being repaid for it. We live in a transactional society. We often operate in a “you wash my back; I’ll wash your back” mindset. Few people in our society will give to help others without thinking about what we get in return.

We may give to charities. It is easy to do. It doesn’t require us to interact with those in need. It is transactional. We tell ourselves we are giving to people in need, but we are often simply getting rid of stuff we no longer want. It’s not to say we are not helping others. But we are distanced from those we help.

Jesus espouses inviting people in need into our homes or going to where they are. He intimates that we should interact with those in need. It is to be up close and personal. It means talking, fellowshipping with them. It means showing genuine interest and care for them. And doesn’t that make sense? After all, if we were a person in need or had a disability, wouldn’t we want someone to pay attention to us and treat us as an equal?

When we interact with others, especially those in need, we are a blessing to them. But it requires a personal interest, a personal touch. So, let’s all look for opportunities to bless others. Let’s look for opportunities to sit down to a meal with someone in need. Let’s look for opportunities to serve someone with a disability. And…let’s treat them like a friend.

I pray we all look for opportunities to be a blessing to someone. I pray we bless someone in need or with a disability. I pray each one of us will follow Jesus’ suggestion to help others. Be a blessing. Bless someone in need. Bless someone with a disability. Make a personal investment. Know that your reward will come in eternity.

Luke 14:13-14 “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”