Care for My Sheep!

At Jeremiah 23:1, God said, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” Translation: Bad things are going to happen to you guys who were responsible for and failed to take care of My people. 

God was speaking of the kings, priests, prophets and other leaders who should have been guiding Israel. These leaders failed miserably in their duties to lead and care for the “flock.” Instead, while on their watch, the nation of Israel had scattered and had actually become non-existent as a country. Worse, many of God’s chosen, because of this failed leadership, had fallen into idolatry and no longer worshipped God.  

We should look at shepherds not just as religious leaders or those charged with spreading the Gospel, but anyone who can influence others. Pastors, Bible teachers and other church leaders are certainly shepherds. But so too are local, state and national politicians, as well as college professors and administrators, schoolteachers and school board members. Writers, journalists and Internet influencers are shepherds. Athletes at every level should consider themselves shepherds because they are admired and looked up to by fans and younger aspiring athletes. Parents are, undoubtedly, shepherds. Anyone who has taken on the role of providing leadership and direction to a “flock” or who is in a position in which they hold sway over others should consider themselves to be a shepherd. The flock could be a classroom of students, a municipal population, a son or daughter or some kid sitting in her room watching Tik-Tok videos for hours at a time. 

I’m not suggesting such people should be teaching the Bible. I am saying, however, that each should serve as a good example and be careful not to say things or act in a way which could lead others away from the path of righteousness. Many students, both Christian and non-Christian alike, have been convinced by teachers and/or professors that there is no God or that they should abandon their Christian beliefs in favor of a more secular lifestyle.  

A basic principle among healthcare students and caregivers is the phrase, “First do no harm.”  This popular tenet should apply to, not just medical providers, but anyone in a position in which they could influence others. We see a version of this in Romans 14:12 in which the Apostle Paul tells us “…not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” If the words or actions of an influencer should lead anyone away from God, they have done a great deal of harm. 

A non-believing professor, paleontologist or POTUS may not give a baboon’s butt about the moral well-being of others, but it hardly makes it okay to force their ideology on others. A kindergarten teacher may disregard the conservative beliefs of parents while teaching her students to question their own sexuality or even their gender.  

Introspection can be a bitter pill but for the sake of our own eternal well-being, it is a pill we should all swallow from time-to-time to see how we affect others.