Humble Pie: Erasing the Lines — Monday
Acts 20:28
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. (NIV)
When I was serving as a volunteer in middle school ministry, the staff would tell us every year at our leader training that each of us was the “pastor” of our middle school small group. It felt weird to hear, and honestly, I don’t think I liked to think of it that way. It felt like an enormous responsibility. However, I had at least 15 girls in my small group, which I guess is technically the size of a small youth group. I’m on the other side of things now as I work on our student ministry staff team, and I entrust so much responsibility to our small group leaders who shepherd our students every week. Now I’m the one telling them they are the pastors of their small groups.
What do pastors do? Simply put, pastors act as shepherds by caring for their flock. Pastors teach, oversee, serve, listen, and pray. Pastors have the responsibility to lead well and to not lead their sheep astray.
Whether you are a camp counselor, teacher, coach, mom, dad, grandparent, or small group leader, God has given you the opportunity and responsibility to care for the flock He has called you to oversee.
In order to love our flock well, we must first know our own Shepherd well. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We can only love others well if we have first spent time with our Father and received His love, which is what we are called to share with others. Secondly, we must know our flock. In order to love others really well, we must devote time to learning how to love them well—taking the time to sit with people, listen to them, and pray with them. Hosanna Wong put it this way: “Many times, your greatest witness will be your with-ness.”
Monday’s Reflection
To shepherd well the flock you’ve been entrusted with, you must learn from the Good Shepherd. As Christ leads us, we learn to lead others. Read John 10:14-18, Psalm 23, and Isaiah 40:11 to learn more about the Good Shepherd.
