“I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed: Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
1 Peter 5:1-4 CSB
It is both a glad and grave responsibility to shepherd God’s flock. The gracious call of the Lord, should be received with joy—that God would choose someone like us to such a task! Yet, none should serve unless so compelled for apart from the activity of God, we are doomed to fail. Such failing would be grievous, for the pastor’s responsibility is the soul-care of God’s flock. They are His and He loves them all. Those entrusted to our oversight have eternal worth. Jesus paid the price of His own life to bring those lost lambs into His fold. For each one entrusted to us, we will give an account on the Day of Judgment. We ought to be driven to our knees in prayer for the Divine empowerment of the Great Shepherd that we might be faithful in this task.
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