Good Shepherd, Bad Shepherd

Am currently listening to "A Pastoral Church" mp3 which I bought in Thailand. Learnt loads about being a good shepherd and bad shepherd. At one end, is Jesus the Good shepherd and the other, bad shepherds can become like the "devil" which destroys other people. There's such a great mantle in being a good shepherd because we love God and we love His flock.

We may not be like Jesus, nor are we like some bad shepherds in the Bible who lie, deceive and leads the sheep astray by taking advantage of them. But we may be somewhere in the middle and has many weaknesses that needs to be changed so that we will not lead our sheeps astray unintentionally!

Having a shepherding system in the church posesses some risks but also many benefits. We need to screen people so that there will not have bad shepherds that destroys God's flock. I realise that if we are too used to just tell people the things to do but by not telling from the Word of God, it is easy to lead people astray. We are also to not lead them our way, but God's way. People who lead their sheeps just their own way is prone to just meet their own agenda, for own benefit and self glory. There is so much to learn from the Great Shepherd - God our shepherd!

In Psalm 23, how King David soaks himself in the arms of His shepherd..
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Let us desire to be a great example to our flocks. It may seem we fall really short of God's idea of a Good Shepherd, but with dilligence and spirit of a shepherd, I believe the shepherd's heart will flow down.