The High Call of Faithful Shepherding: CDT #483

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BLUF: The High Call of Shepherding Well

Context, Context, Context: The passage under discussion is Ezekiel 34. In it, God rebukes false shepherds. And He does it with severity. Why? Because souls matter. Profoundly. Therefore, the stewardship of souls by shepherds is scrutinized by God Himself. God will judge the shepherds.

Text: Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. (Ez 34:7-10)

Questions for Reflection:

  • What does the above passage teach us about the high calling of shepherding souls well?
  • What does the above passage teach us about the standard to which God holds the shepherds of souls?
  • How will genuine shepherds be distinguished from false ones?

Encouragement: I love watching the next generations of chaplains and shepherds coming into our force. I see their alacrity, their enthusiasm, their heart for Soldiers and Families. It’s the same way I feel about men called into civilian ministry. I rejoice that God continues to call men to shepherd well. However, I’ve also seen more than a few men who are like those in the passage from Ezekiel, men who care not for the sheep but only for self. That is spiritual cancer; be not fooled. But God sees, and God will do what is right. Sometimes sad things just have to have time to play themselves out so that the charlatans are revealed. The tragedy is that souls are damaged in the interim. Lord, make us faithful shepherds.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #482: The Watchman

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BLUF: The Lord appointed ‘watchmen’ to be both vigilant and to be a prophetic voice for the sake of the unit/people/nation.

Context, Context, Context: Ezekiel 33 is the passage under discussion. In it, God calls Ezekiel to be a watchman, a vigilant scout and prophetic voice.

Text: So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. (Ez 33:7-9)

Teaching: God has called individuals throughout redemptive history to be prophetic voices and spiritual scouts. With what aim? To warn. To speak truth to power. To reclaim. To educate. To encourage. The list could continue.

Questions for Reflection:

  • How do we distinguish between authentic truth-tellers and charlatans?
  • How might we train our tools of discernment?
  • How can we leverage the wisdom of the authentic truth-tellers in our midst?

Encouragement: There is no paucity of noisy voices competing for our attention. Therefore, it is wise to know what we should heed and what we should ignore. God has continually graced us with watchmen like Ezekiel throughout the historical plan of redemption. Will we listen to the wise watchmen in our day?

God Takes ‘No Pleasure’ in the Death of Anyone

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BLUF: God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone.

Context: I’ve been in Christian ministry for much of my adult life, both as a civilian and as a military chaplain. A recurring objection/question I’ve often been asked is along these lines: “How is God not mean and vindictive to damn people? How could a loving God send people to hell?” I could write at length on this issue but want to proffer here a pithy response to this understandable issue some people raise.

Texts: “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” (Ez 18:23) and “Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn and live” (Ez 18:31b-32).

Encouragement: First, Scripture speaks to this issue. That’s fundamental. Just read the text; that’s a good start. Second, it’s important to recognize that the question about divine justice and human justice. The questioner is asking for ‘justice’ but who defines perfect justice? Is it sinful men? If so, which men–you, me, Mao, Pontius Pilate, Hitler, your favorite neighbor, etc.? We long for justice, but if we all received justice, no one would ever be saved. We tend to want justice for ‘the other guy’ but not for ourselves. If we have wisdom, we’ll long for mercy and grace, not justice.

Justice is rooted in the character of God. It is in Christianity alone–distinct from all other worldviews–that God declares righteous all those who are in Christ (Rom 3). Scripture is clear on this issue: God does not delight in the death of anyone; nor does God delight in hell. Hell is for those who refuse God, who don’t want God, who continually reject the gospel of grace and redemption and restoration. Again, God longs for us rebels to repent and return to God, not be rebels forever east of Eden, or worse.

Long Obedience in the Right Direction

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BLUF: Long Obedience in the Right Direction

Context: In Proverbs 12, Solomon is instructing his son in wisdom. In the verse under scrutiny today, Solomon teaches on the endurance of truth versus the passing nature of lies.

Text: “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment” (Pr 12:19).

Encouragement: When you step off what I call “Drama Island,” you can gain proper perspective. Because we’re awash in a culture of lies, we have all grown accustomed to being lied to. We just assume lies to be the day’s fare. We live in a culture where we just expect lies as the main course, but occasionally, we meet with people of truth. They are the diamonds in the rough. And Solomon is teaching his son about how to be a diamond. Solomon teaches the wisdom of long obedience in the right and godly direction.

The encouragement is straightforward: Truth endures, whereas lies are temporary. The wise will learn to rise to the top. How? I know that for me, I have a few men to whom I look up. Many are military men. Others are my grandparents (they’re deceased now, but their impact upon my life continues). Another was my father-in-law (he was truly a godly man who has since gone on to his reward). My point is simple: the folks whose impact endures are those people whose lives and ministries were characterized by truth, by long obedience in the right and godly direction. 

Investing in Others

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BLUF: Knowing the Goal/Investing in Others

Context: In Proverbs 11:30, Solomon employs at least two metaphors. The first is that of a tree that bears fruit. The second is that of direction, an azimuth check, if you will. In the first line, he writes, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life . . .” That’s straightforward. The righteous/good man is characterized as a life-giving, life-bearing, pro-life person, so to speak. He’s characterized by “speaking life” and encouragement. And the second line unpacks this a bit more by adding, “and whoever captures souls is wise.” It’s not meant in the negative sense of entrapment. Rather, it is about leading people out of darkness into light, out of evil into goodness/righteousness. That’s the root meaning of the word educate. Etymologically, the word means “to lead out of/from darkness to light.”

Text: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise” (Pr 11:30).

Encouragement: All of us have the same amount of time in a day. How do we steward those 24 hours? Do we invest wisely in people and in ourselves? Or do we fritter away the time? Solomon here encourages the wise in godly stewardship of the time we’ve been given.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #478: Integrity

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BLUF: The Security of Integrity

Context: Proverbial wisdom from Solomon. A father’s discipling his son in understanding the difference between the wise person and the fool.

Text: “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out” (Pr 10:9).

Encouragement: The imagery’s important here. It is one of gait, of one’s stride, of one’s walk. When our daily walk is one of integrity, we’re not having to look over our shoulder. We’re at peace with God and at peace with others, insofar as that’s possible. It’s like what Paul writes in Romans 12:18: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” The fool, by contrast, is crooked. His walk is characterized by duplicity, inconstancy, and instability. 

Integrity is the idea of wholeness, being whole, being “integrated.” Much of mission accomplishment hinges upon seamless teamwork. When all the horses are pulling the same direction, if you will, horsepower’s generated and the wheels on the coach move as designed. This is where integrity will show itself. We walk securely when we do right, even and especially when we think no one’s watching. Because Someone always is.