Devotionals

Ezekiel 34:11 “For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.”

What have you asked God to do for the people that shepherd your life? When I talk about “shepherds,” I mean people that guide and provide. Whenever you see sheep, they are not far from a person. If you see a sheep off by himself, that poor creature is asking for trouble!

Like a sheep needs a shepherd, each one of us needs people to help guide us and provide for us. Who are some shepherds in our lives? Parents, pastors, teachers, and others have been given the task to “shepherd” us. No matter who you are, how old you are, or how far in life you’ve gone, there will always be someone who will shepherd your life.

The truth is, God’s shepherds need God’s strength. The perfect Shepherd is described for us in Ezekiel 34. God says, “I will seek out my sheep . . . I will bring them out . . . I will feed them in a good pasture . . . I will cause them to lie down . . . I will seek . . . and will bring again . . . and will bind . . . and will strengthen.” So what is the difference between the Ideal Shepherd and the one you have right now (your preacher, your boss, your parents)? How wide is the gap between what they (or you) should be and what God would be? The difference is the Lord’s help!

Your abilities as a shepherd and God’s abilities as a Shepherd are a universe apart. What you need to be a competent shepherd as a parent, a preacher, or a boss is God’s strength! To shepherd God’s sheep, you need God’s strength!

You may not be everything you should be, but if you would ask the Lord for His strength, it would make a difference in how well you shepherd. If you would pray for your pastor, it would make a difference in how well he shepherds. If you would pray for your parents, it would make a difference in how well your mom and dad shepherd. On the other hand, if you are not praying, you have no right-none-to complain. How have you prayed for God’s shepherds in your life?

Prayer Requests:
1. Service tonight in North Salem, IN
2. Bill Rice Ranch Father-Son Adventure this weekend

Ezekiel 20:31 “For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.”

Suppose your son stole your car, spent your money, and spread lies about you on Facebook. How would you feel? “Brother Wil, I don’t even have a son!” Well, shuffle the characters to make it relevant to your life. You get the idea, don’t you? What if someone you had taken care of, loved, and guided turned your own resources against you? What if they lied about you, your character, and dragged your name through the mud? How would you feel? What would you do? How would your relationship be affected?

I am so thankful that I have a Father in Heaven who is perfect, although I am not. I am not God’s child because I do right; I want to do right because I am God’s child. If I do wrong, I’m not kicked out of the family, but I set myself up for the judgment of a loving but holy God. There is a high cost for low living!

Israel had experienced the protection of God, enjoyed the provision and direction of God, and inherited a land they did not earn or deserve. They were special because God is extraordinary, and He put His favor on them. Yet they turned on Him! They were barely in God’s Promised Land before they started worshipping idols. They were living lower than the position they had as God’s own.

You may live like everyone else, but, as God’s child, you will never be like everyone else. If you belong to God through faith in His Son, it really is a silly question to ask if you should live different than everyone else-you are different! Whether or not people see that you are different, you are fundamentally different from the world. If you belong to God, but that is not reflected in your life, you are living in hypocrisy.

There is a high cost for low living. When you trusted Christ, God set you apart as one of His own. Your life should reflect that truth every day of your life. What you are in practice you should show in practice. The life you live should tell the truth about your Father in Heaven. What is your life saying?

Prayer Requests:
1. Service tonight in North Salem, IN
2. Bill Rice Ranch Father-Son Adventure this weekend

Ezekiel 18:2 "What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?" There is no doubt that it is human nature to be the first to take the credit and the last to take...

Ezekiel 16:63 "That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD." A story is told of a king who found a young lady on the side of a...