BY: Pastor Bob Miller
CHAPTER READ: 1 Peter 5
SCRIPTURE SELECTED: 1 Peter 5:1-4
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
OBSERVATION: As an elder, we are called to follow in the footsteps of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ and to shepherd God’s flock under our care. We are to watch over them not because we have too or because we want to get ahead by doing so, or even because we can get them to do what we want. But we are to be eager to serve, to watch over them and to serve as an example to the flock for while we are shepherds we must remember we are also the sheep of His fold and He will return to give us a crown of glory which will never fade away.
APPLICATION: It is easy for us as elders to forget our true place as sheep of the Chief Shepherd. We tend to use our position of rank as a position to “be served” rather than to serve. We need to pay attention to our motives and recognize that it is a privilege not an obligation to fulfill, to serve as a shepherd in the care for those whom God has placed under us. We should never forget that as we live to serve, our Chief Shepherd is living to ensure that we will receive the crown of glory.
PRAYER: Lord, protect my heart as an elder, to not misuse my position of authority, but may I truly be mindful of the needs of those around me. May I be a “good” shepherd just as You are! May I be all about caring for others and not for myself. Amen