ShepherdLeader.com

¨Leadership means looking for the lost. Shepherd leaders feel comfortable in places where sheep get lost" (p. 80).

These two sentences jumped out at me. In other contexts the past couple of weeks I have been reminded of God's desire to free those enslaved by sin, to rescue those that are lost. However, I find myself often in contexts where the lost are not. And when I am where the lost are, I'm often focused on what I need to accomplish and do not take the time to help them understand what Jesus wants to do in their lives.

God has placed our family in an apartment complex where many Indians live. I have an acquaintance with a West African Muslim man who enjoys talking with me in English. There are French and Americans that we know that also live in Brazzaville. And then there are Congolese all around us who are lost. All these need to understand Jesus' love for them.

May I as a leader be about looking for Jesus' lost sheep. May I not forget that Jesus wants me to look for them and bring them back home. Heavenly Father, please give me compassion for those that are lost and remind me to take time to be with them to help them find their way back to you.

Like Ron, my typical days are not spent actively seeking out the lost in my community. I have a comfortable office in the midst of mostly Christian college students, who feel comfortable showing up and hanging out at the "Center for Christian Study." There are enough of these students that I can easily fill my time just checking in with them and encouraging them in their schoolwork, relationships and trust in Christ...but reading this chapter made me rethink how I structure my time and this ministry. I definitely don't regularly find myself in the frat houses, corner bars, dorm rooms or deep in the university library stacks (that's a whole other type of lostness that is just as destructive as partying, but far more glorified by the world). I haven't stayed away for fear of contamination (though perhaps I should be more aware of that possibility) or lack of concern for the lost (I pray for lost students to meet Christ), but mostly because of busyness in programs and relationships. This is a real shame, because I was trained to live and lead otherwise, but I've let other voices and worldly desires reshape how I prioritize my life. May God continue to convict and lead me to love the lost as He loved me. Seeking me and noting my absence everyday that I was away. My focus has been on those who ARE present, which has a legitimate place in caring for this flock, but so does noting those who have not come home yet and not being fully satisfied until they do.