Week 11: Good Shepherd  

• Key verses: Psalm 23:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:1
• Comfort in the good shepherd
• Being a good shepherd
• Parting thoughts

Key verses

Psalm 23:1-3 (NLT)

The Lord is my shepherd;
  I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
  he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
  He guides me along right paths,
  bringing honor to his name.

1 Timothy 3:1(NLT)

 This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.”

Comfort in the good shepherd

Psalm 23 gives me great comfort when I struggle. God’s promise to take us to green pastures and calm waters gives us hope. His promise to be with us through the dark valleys gives us courage. This Psalm is my prayer during the tough times. I am so thankful for God’s unfailing love!

Being a good shepherd

The challenge this week was to apply the Biblical principle of shepherd leadership in our lives. God set the expectation of servant leadership throughout the Bible. The idea is to lead well AND serve those you lead. No matter what your leadership style, the expectation is set.

When my boys joined the Boy Scouts, I volunteered as an Assistant Scoutmaster. A few years later I would become Scoutmaster. My role was to guide boys through the process of becoming servant leaders. While scouting offers many great opportunities and adventures, I think its greatest value is instilling the value of serving others and teaching leadership by leading others into these boys becoming men. I was responsible for exemplifying these traits while leading them on this path.

As I look back, I see many young men who stuck it out in scouting and are leaders today including my sons. I also see how I grew as a leader. This experience helped prepare me to lead a consulting team. I learned my strengths and weaknesses, and I used that to shape my leadership team.

During this time, I didn’t volunteer at church as much as some people thought I should. However, I firmly believe this is the ministry, the shepherding opportunity, God called me to do. I think it is a huge mistake for churches to make us think we are not serving God if we are serving somewhere other than the church. God calls us to be a light in the world. Frankly, my time serving in the Scouts was very fulfilling and brought goodness into the world.

Parting thoughts

Shepherds were not looked up to during Bible times. But God sees fit to use them as examples for his leadership principles. So much so, both God the Father and God the Son are called shepherds in the Bible. Shouldn’t we model ourselves the same way? Find where you lead, then serve.