The Tent: A safe place for shepherds to reflect together
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RonJulian
Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 21 Location: Brazzaville, Rep. of Congo
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:31 am Post subject: Concern for leaders I work with |
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As I read the comment on the leaders of Israel in relation to Ezekiel 34 that "distraction with their own concerns had led to neglect of the flock, a passive expression of abuse, " (p. 84) I thought of the leaders I work with here in Congo.
For them, their own concerns are very real - how to feed their family today, how to pay their rent, how to pay medical and school bills for their families, and long term concerns about how they will provide for their wives and themselves in retirement.
How can I encourage them in the context of these concerns to not neglect their flocks, or as was discussed in an early chapter, how to not look to their flocks primarily as a means to meeting these needs?
I think of two responses for myself in this - first, the importance of praying for them in relationship to their needs and their responsibility to care for their flocks, and second, to not forget my own responsibility to "first...look inward with brutal honesty, and then move toward gentle restoration" (p. 87). I need to model care of my flock. And a third response would be to keep seeking God's direction and acting on it as to how to help these leaders in their need.
May I better express the heart of the Good Shepherd in the looking for those lost and in the encouragement of my Congolese fellow leaders. _________________ Ron Julian |
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