The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 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.

‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

A bit of a longer passage today, but I had a hard time breaking it up, as it is so very good.
I believe we are entering into a time, my friends, of spiritual pruning in the church. The Word of God is timeless. Yet some have taken God’s Word and manipulated it to suit their worldly purposes. And sadly, some of these are the very leaders we have in our churches. And in a time when some churches are looking mainly for the dollar donations, to pay full-time staff, we need shepherds who preach the truth and also model how to live a righteous life. I appreciate those pastors who are putting their faith out there, being transparent with their brokenness, and leading out front by example in their communities. We need more of these leaders. God is calling on us who know him to lead by example.

Who will search for the lost amidst their busy lives? Who will bind up the brokenhearted? Who will strengthen the weak in spirit with the Truth of God’s Word? Will I? Will you?
We must continue to seek out and pursue excellence in how we live out our faith. We must draw closer to and truly listen to God’s Spirit and then ACT! II Chronicles 16:9 says: “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Too much is on the line spiritually. In a time when many are primarily worried about building up supplies, a tough economy, or other issues in our country, our main focus as Christ-followers needs to be on seeking and saving and discipling the lost, weak, and broken. In times of trial, GOD’S LIGHT SHINES BRIGHTER and HIS WORD PENETRATES into hearts searching for the truth. Let us look to the spiritual harvests right in front of us, my friends!

Lord, you have laid it all out on the line for us in this passage in Ezekiel. We cannot sit back, coast in our faith and, as leaders, take it easy. We cannot just protect our own. We are called to reach out and serve those who need help and share The Good News about Jesus Christ to a lost world. Keep me relevant and help me to remain faithful in my actions to honor you!