top of page

Be a Better Leader 

October 24, 2024

Hey Clawson Family!


Song:



Scripture:


Ezekiel 34:1-16


34 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? 3 You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. 4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. 5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. 6 They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.


7 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn’t search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. 9 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey.


The Good Shepherd


11 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. 12 I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live.14 Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills.15 I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!


Devotional:


Leader is an admirable title, but it’s a position that carries great responsibility. Good leaders seek the interests of others before tending to themselves. To lead others well takes a degree of strength and a desire to develop and guide others. To lead others well is to lead like a shepherd.


Throughout the Bible, God describes His people as sheep and those assigned to caring for His people as shepherds. A shepherd’s life was one of self-sacrifice and hard work.


Easton’s Bible Dictionary describes a shepherd’s day like this:


"In early morning he led forth the flock from the fold, marching at its head to the spot where they were to be pastured. Here he watched them all day, taking care that none of the sheep strayed, and if any for a time eluded his watch and wandered away from the rest, seeking diligently till he found and brought it back. In those lands sheep require to be supplied regularly with water, and the shepherd for this purpose has to guide them either to some running stream or to wells dug in the wilderness and furnished with troughs. At night he brought the flock home to the fold, counting them as they passed under the rod at the door to assure himself that none were missing. Nor did his labors always end with sunset. Often he had to guard the fold through the dark hours from the attack of wild beasts, or the wily attempts of the prowling thief.”


During Israel’s exile to Babylon, Israel’s leaders were supposed to direct and care for the people like shepherds looking out for their flock. But instead, they oppressed the people, neglecting to feed and clothe them, and failing to look for those who wandered away. The prophet Ezekiel warns these shepherds that God considers them enemies for their neglect. He will not only search and rescue His people, He will serve justice.


Too often, like Israel’s leaders, we can believe the lie that leadership is about moving up the ranks and neglect those we are leading. But the truth is that ineffective or self-serving leadership always leads to disunity. This isn’t what God wants for us or for His people.

In Ezekiel 34:11-12, God promises to return one day to search out and care for His people the way a shepherd tends his sheep. As His followers and ambassadors on Earth, we have the opportunity to lead how God leads -- putting our focus on helping others, not just ourselves.


Journal: 


In your journal write what you learned from the scriptures today about leading others the way God leads His people. What’s one way you can step up as a leader and lead as God leads?


Training


Father


Our pride, fear, and selfishness struggle against our desire to please You. We know that every good and perfect thing is from You (James 1:17), so we ask You to purify our hearts. May Your goodness outshine our failings.


bottom of page