Shepherds Of The Flock...

Scripture:
Acts 20:28-32 (NASB)

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Devotional:

It is with great joy and some sadness that I learned that a youth pastor I know is moving.  If I understood everything right he will have the honor and privilege of pasturing a new church.  The joy comes in knowing he will be doing great things for God.  He is being given his own “flock” to shepherd for Jesus.  The sadness is he will be moving out of the area.

As I ponder the new adventure he and his family will be having I think of our own flocks.  Who is a part of your flock?  Who are we to shepherd?  At some point we are all given tasks to mentor, teach, and lead other Christians, and in some cases nonbelievers.  These can be fellow workers, our families, our friends just to name a few.  It is vital that we are teaching God’s word and not stray to the right or left in the slightest bit.  Not only are we to teach the truth but we must also guard against any who would miss lead.  We are warned that there will be some, even in the flock, who would lead believers astray.  These wolves in sheep’s clothing can be hard to spot.  They blend in with the crowd.  They are our friends and sometimes our own families.  Their task of drawing people away from Christ becomes easier as churches and Christians slip closer and closer to being of the world instead of the body of Christ.  It is our job to keep our flock on the straight and narrow path.  A shepherd’s job is to protect and guide the flock.  Jesus is the good shepherd.  He has anointed us to tend His flock.