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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Ezekiel 34:11

"For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:  I myself will search for my sheep and look after them."

 What we learn in verses 1-10 is that where the shepherds of Israel have failed to take care of God's flock but have instead used and extorted them, God himself will do.  God gave them a sacred charge to care for his people, to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, and bind up the injured.  But instead, they have treated them harshly and brutally.  They have not even gone out to look for the sheep, though they remain scattered over the whole Earth.  They have failed, so God will do it himself.

He like a good shepherd will find the sheep that are lost.(Luke 15; Matthew 18:11)  He will descend from heaven to bind up the broken-hearted and to set the captives free. (Is 61:1)  All his sheep know his voice and obey his command.(John 10:14)  He is the good shepherd who will lay down his life for his sheep.  (John 10:11)  He is Jesus Christ, God, come to shepherd his people.

So do not think of yourself as a shepherd of God's people.  The LORD is against shepherds and holds them accountable for what they have done. (Ez 34:10) That burden is not yours, but it is God's.  It is only through Jesus Christ, the only true shepherd, that you can minister and shepherd the flock lest you carry the burden of responsibility.  They are Christ's sheep, not yours.  Quit feeling guilty and overburdened.  Christ can handle it without you.

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