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Summary:
Do you think that anyone can have a shepherds heart?
A true shepherd does not have a position, yet has given all for the sheep.
Show Notes:
• One cannot shepherd God’s sheep without having His heart
• There is a balance that is not so easy to see without that heart
• A good shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep
References:
A sinner’s prayer for pardon.
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the
eternal covenant,
Jesus washes the disciples feet.
And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will guide
you with knowledge and understanding.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot
bear them now”.
Who is the one condemning? For it is Christ Jesus,
the one having died, now rather having been raised up, who is
also at the right hand of God, and who is interceding for us.
Quotes:
• Jesus is considered our Great Shepherd
• Jacob, one of the great shepherds of all time
• The shepherd is responsible to find the greenest pasture for his
sheep
Take Away:
There are few who come to know how to balance everything needed in
a sheep fold, the milk for the babes, the meat for the mature, how fast
to lead them so that no one lags behind, and no one is jumping way out
front. God bless those with a true shepherds heart.
Transcript
Debbie
What is the shepherd today? Not necessarily the past and not necessarily in church, because a shepherd is one that leads, one that leads with a humble heart. Think about David. David was humbled before the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ was considered the Great Shepherd. He's our example. What did He do? Put a apron around Him and humbled Himself and wash their feet. That's what a shepherd does. A shepherd ministers to the people and to their needs. To have a shepherd's heart means to have a great love for the people, great concern. The backside of your life is extremely important when it comes to being having a shepherd's heart, because you have to have your relationship with the Lord made right also, before you can minister from a shepherd's heart. Seek to have His heart. That's what a shepherd is. There are many shepherds in this day, there are lots of shepherds. But not all of them have a shepherd's heart.
Dale
Well, I have to follow what you're saying, Deb, because it's so true. We are so fortunate to have an example, as Jesus is as a shepherd. And we know the many parables that deals with shepherding. Going out and finding that one sheep. Got 99 safe in the fold. And then he goes out and he finds that one sheep. And I tell you, he had to break his legs. That's why he carried him around his neck. So he wouldn't run away. And I'll tell you, that's that's heartbreaking for a shepherd. But he has to do it. Otherwise, he'll be out there chasing that sheep again. If you haven't given it all, for the sheep, you're not a shepherd yet. But don't worry about that. God will help you. It's a process. In many cases, the people you're shepherding, whether it's one or two, in your own family, or wherever. God is faithful. If you ask him, Lord, give me a shepherd's heart.
Debbie
You have to be aware of a lot of different things.
Dale
The Shepherd is responsible to find the greenest pasture for the sheep. They're also responsible to lead the sheep into that pasture and then stand back, right. I always used to think of it like this. It's not the shepherd's responsibility to get in there and eat the grass. It's the shepherd's responsibility to get the sheep in there to eat the grass. He's got to be watching for the babes. And he's got to be watching for those young men that just, there's an old horse term called tromping at the bit. And you got that bit in that horse's mouth and you're pulling back on the reins. And that horse is throwing his head up wanting just about jerky out of the saddle, because he wants to run. The balance that you're talking about. I think, put many a shepherd on his knees on his face before God's saying, Help me, Father. When you cry over the little ones. And you cry over those young men tromping at the bit. You're getting the idea of what God wants as an intercessor on their behalf.
Dale
God's looking for those sheep that are hungering and thirsting after him. Right. And that's the reason to have a shepherd is to shepherd them into what the Father wants. And that's that's why Christ was the Great Shepherd in our example, as how to shepherd. What is He doing now? Interceding for us. Interceding day and night. He's not done yet, because we're not done yet. There's such a thing in His heart that comes with being a shepherd, that you literally lay down your life. Actually, that's how we feel about each other. There's a lot of shepherding that we do to each other. And will we follow in His path? Do we lay down our lives? Like He did? Yes.