Lead, Search, Love
Posted by Dave Clayton on 03/16/2009
Over the last several months I have gotten hooked on the Book of Ezekiel. One of my favorite passages is found in Ezekiel 34.
In this passage, God is upset because the leaders of Israel have failed to be good leaders. He is using the analogy of a shepherd, and basically God paints the picture of a bunch of lazy shepherds who are so consumed with taking care of themselves that that they fail to care for the ones who have been entrusted to them.
“So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.” – Ezekial 34:5-6
1.) When leaders fail to be leaders, no matter what the reason is, the people find themselves drifting spiritually.
2.) When people find themselves drifting spiritually, they become easy prey for the enemy.
3.) When we notice that our people have wandered away and fallen prey to the enemy will we go and rescue them?
Will you Lead? Will search? Will you love?
Who are the people in your life that you have failed to lead? Who is wandering? Who do you need to go searching for this week?
I don’t know about you, but I want to spend more time taking my cues from the Good Shepherd, and less time falling into the trappings of the shepherds in Ezekial. Love you guys.
I’m an Idiot
Posted by Dave Clayton on 03/15/2009
The other night, I was on campus with Brandon. We had both spoken on a panel that went fairly well. Afterwards, we had to rush over to a training session for a mission team we are leading in a few months. It was late. I had been on campus for 13 straight hours. I can honestly say that patience was not leading the way in my life at the moment.
As we were leaving, a student who I didn’t really know, stopped us to talk for a moment. Even though we were in a hurry, we realized that our ultimate responsibility is with the students, so we stopped to answer a few of his questions. After about ten minutes of talking with him, and answering his questions, he ended the conversation by insulting Brandon and I.
Brandon handled it like a champ. I did not. It crawled all over me. Brandon even laughed at me a little for allowing this guy to get under my skin. I stumbled across this post earlier in the week and it caused me to reflect on the “conflict” from Tuesday night.
Read 2 Samuel 16:5-14 sometime. It’s entertaining and enlightening.
The recap:
-Someone curses King David
-One of David’s men volunteers to cut off the guy’s head
-David replies (in effect): “Let him curse me, God’s got my back.”
I long to have that kind of restraint and perspective.
I’m not there, but this is where I want to get as a leader.
After all, how will it hurt me if someone doesn’t agree with my theology?
Let them disagree…maybe I can even learn something from their disagreement.
Why get so emotionally revved when someone makes a false accusation about me?
Let them accuse…no weapon formed against me shall prosper.
I’d be a whole lot happier and exponentially more effective if I could learn to let things go, bolstered by the confidence that God has got my back. Those who are spiritually secure are able to hear the critical voice, filter and digest what’s helpful, process out the rest, and stay in the zone.
Obey
Posted by Dave Clayton on 03/14/2009
Have you ever found yourself standing face to face with a decision you knew God was calling you to make? Maybe God was calling you to do something very specific — such as change your job, move to another city, or make what seemed to be a huge personal sacrifice. How did you respond in that situation? There is a really powerful story in Genesis 22. You know it was one of those stories that defined the rest of Abraham’s life.
As I read this verse out loud, I can’t imagine what I would go through internally if God was calling me to do what Abraham did.
” Take your son, your only son–yes, Isaac, whom you love so much–and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” – Genesis 22:2
I can’t imagine what it would be like to know that God was calling you to do something so crazy. Don’t you know Abraham wanted to spend time rationalizing all of the reasons why God couldn’t be serious? You know he was tempted to figure out what kind of “metaphor” God was using when he talked about sacrificing his son. But instead of doing all of things I typically do when God calls me to something hard, Abraham did something really radical…he obeyed.
If you read the next verse in that story, it paints a picture of Abraham’s relationship with God. He didn’t wait until a week or a month. He didn’t put together a six month strategic plan. He didn’t seek counsel from Godly men. He listened to the one true God and the story says, the next morning he set off towards Moriah in obedience.
How many times have you found yourself challenged to step out in faith, but instead of responding like Abraham, you found yourself waiting to see what God would do next, searching for more proof, bartering with the creator of the universe?
I have been there so often, and I confess that my hesitance to obey God shows how short sighted, and faithless I can be so many times. I confess that I often take instructions from my boss, my wife, or even close friends more seriously — treat them with more urgency, than things handed down from God.
God is calling us to be obedient with our families, our lives, our church, our careers, and everything in between, whether or not his instructions make sense to us.
Are there any commands that God has been placing on your heart recently?
How will you respond today?
