with Bob Condly
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certainty

The Heart of a Shepherd

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One of my favorite Christian musicians is John Michael Talbot. For decades his songs have enriched my dedication to Jesus and deepened my worship of the Lord. I realize I’m not the only one; his ministry has blessed millions.

One of his many outstanding albums is Heart of the Shepherd. Most of its songs are passages from the letters of Paul. Talbot said he made this album to bring attention to the pastoral side of the apostle. Paul traveled the Roman Empire spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. He made disciples and trained many of them to become leaders. Paul endured resistance from false teachers and government officials. His life wasn’t easy.

But he never lost his concern for the wellbeing of fellow Christians. He wanted their faith to thrive even (especially) if they encountered similar difficulties. These songs illustrate Paul’s shepherd heart.

And I could say something similar about other apostles like Peter, John, and James. Driving the theology of their writings is a pastoral motivation. They care about the spiritual welfare of Christ’s flock.

Let’s add to this list the writer of the letter to the Hebrews. One problem: we know who received the epistle–Jewish Christians–but we don’t know who wrote it. And while I can’t settle the matter, I can assert that this writer possessed the heart of a shepherd.

I say this because of a verse that leaped out at me. It amazed me how well it expressed loving care.

Here is the full passage in the New International Version:

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” – Hebrews 6:10-12

What got my attention was verse 11 in the New Living Translation:

“Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.”

To learn what it means to have the heart of a shepherd, let’s unpack this verse phrase by phrase.

“Our great desire is that”

This is how leaders think about their charge. God gives them a deep longing for the welfare of those whom they serve. Without that heart, church leaders are apt to regard their responsibilities as burdens. But when they live from the heart of Jesus, they identify with people and seek to bring them closer to the Lord.Nothing less than the realization of the will of God will please wise shepherds.

Whether you see yourself as a leader or not, it’s worth pondering how you view others. Are they a delight or a distraction? What motivates you to make a difference in the lives of others?

“You will keep on loving others”

This is what believers do and must continue to do, even when it gets hard. The recipients of this letter suffered rejection and persecution because of their allegiance to Jesus. When the world turned its back on them, the Christians had to turn to each other for support. Who else would help?

Loving other Christians is easy on paper but in real life, not so much! Yet Jesus models patience and commitment toward us. How then can we fail to extend the same treatment toward others? We can’t! God’s lovingkindness for us compels us to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with the same love and mercy. When they struggle, we step in to help. When they suffer, we defend them and bandage their wounds.

What can you do to contribute to the ways people show love in your church? What is cluttering the flow of love in your life? What facilitates your expression of love?

“As long as life lasts”

If God already has you on the path of love, great! Don’t quit; love as long as you live. There will always be needs; wherever you look, you will find people who need a hand. As long as you’re here, you can change someone’s life; you can make a difference that will outlast your life.

That’s the beauty of serving the Lord. What we do outlives us. Our days on earth end, but we can fill them with the presence of the Spirit so we’re busy with the Father’s business. Then, when He calls us home, our labor ends but the effects continue. So now’s the time to invest ourselves. Empowered by God’s love, we can enrich the lives of all those around us. And Christian leaders who adopt this mindset do their churches a real favor!

“In order”

The writer of Hebrews is about to introduce a purpose for his exhortation. Blessing others and showing them love are wonderful; but God has something else in store for us. It’s okay to have a purpose that supplements or transcends blessing fellow believers. We don’t want to reduce people to means to achieve our goals. They have inherent value and true Christians, including good pastors, know this. But as God’s plans are broad, so we can expect Him to do more in and through us than we assume.

As you learn how to walk in love, where do you believe the Lord is leading you? What has He shown you about His plans for your life?

“To make certain”

It’s hard to do anything long-term, especially loving for a lifetime, if we’re not sure of the reason for doing it. Of course, if we’re afraid of God punishing us, we’ll do what we’re told! But that’s not how Jesus operates with His own, and neither do leaders who have His heart. Rather than pushing us into something we despise, the Lord draws us forward. He invites us to move into a fuller realization of His kingdom in our midst.

The enemies of our soul–the world, the flesh, and the devil–will try to discourage. They don’t have to do all the work; they sow seeds of doubt and let them grow. We then do the rest! The aim of the enemy is to make us uncertain about God’s will and skeptical about His good plans. Hence the need for a loving community that encourages everyone to push ahead.

What has God made certain in your life? What are you convinced of that you can share as a blessing with others? Who do you know is down and needs a positive word?

“That what you hope for”

What do we hope for? The Christian life looks back to the cross of Christ and His resurrection. The Christian life explores the present day and how we can live out our faith in Jesus by the power of His Spirit. And the Christian life peers toward the future. We’re headed somewhere and pastors have the privilege of helping us clarify the destination.

What do you hope for? What do you yearn for the Lord to achieve in your life? How will this glorify Jesus? How will it bless you? How will it bless the church?

“Will come true”

It may take a lifetime, but God will fulfill our desires. We have His promise, and those with shepherd hearts communicate this assurance to us. They care that we do not succumb to discouragement or abandon our confidence in Christ.

In the world, hope is dangerous because so often it sets people up for disappointment. Better not to hope, that way you can’t get hurt! But the Lord has a better way for you to live. It’s daring because it will call for you to hope in God in ways that will stretch you. Are you prepared to trust God to the ultimate extent? If so, how can you inspire the faith of a brother or sister in Christ? What steps are you taking toward the realization of God’s will in your life?

Conclusion

Jesus identifies Himself as our Good Shepherd (see John 10:11, 14). And He’s given us shepherds who care for our growth in faith, hope, and love. We have the support we need to discover and fulfill the will of God. Life in His kingdom has so many blessings; let’s not fail to receive them or share them.

Halfway Confident

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We know we’re supposed to have faith in God. The book of Proverbs says to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

So important is faith that it’s the key to our salvation in Christ.

“They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.’” – Acts 16:31

If we want to make God happy, we need to trust Him!

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” – Hebrews 11:6

At the opposite end of the spectrum lie the unbelieving. These folk reject the possibility of God’s involvement in human affairs. If He exists at all, He doesn’t care about us. They dismiss him as irrelevant.

“In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. … 11He says to himself, ‘God will never notice; He covers His face and never sees.’” – Psalm 10:4, 11

This attitude of practical atheism (behaving as though God doesn’t exist) angers the Lord. It’s something He must judge.

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–His eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” – Romans 1:18-21

But what about a middle ground?

There are times when we both believe and disbelieve God. We accept His Word as true but we find ourselves struggling to believe His promises. It’s like we’re walking a tightrope; it’s dangerous and we’re nervous. Having started, we can’t turn around, but we’re afraid to finish. Stuck out there in the middle, we’re halfway confident.

The psalmist David knows what this is like.

“The LORD will vindicate me; Your love, LORD, endures forever–do not abandon the works of Your hands.” – Psalm 138:8

At first glance, this verse appears to express nothing more than a simple prayer for God’s blessing. David is confident the Lord will justify him. He bases his assurance on the unchanging love of God. The love of the Lord is eternal; it lasts forever! So David has no reason to fear the future; God has his back.

But he adds a request. “Don’t abandon me, Lord!” Standing on God’s promise, certain of His love, David still hesitates. He has faith in God, but is his faith warranted? Will God come through for him, or is David imagining something the Lord never guaranteed?

 Centuries later, Jesus encounters a similar situation.

“‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’ 23‘“If you can”?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’ 24Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” – Mark 9:22-24

The father of a demonized child implores Jesus to deliver his son. The man must have heard of Christ’s many miracles because he knows enough to ask Jesus for help.

But he’s not 100% certain. “Were those other cases easier? Is my son’s problem too difficult for Jesus? I trust Him, but–I don’t know. Help!”

Like David, this father is halfway confident. He has real faith, but it’s not pure. Doubt, reluctance, fear–these taint his hope and trust.

How does God respond to us when we’re halfway confident?

Let’s revisit David’s psalm. The verse we looked at is the final one of Psalm 138. As a result, we don’t get a direct response from the Lord. But in the first seven verses, we find several references to praising God and the reasons for such praise. David doesn’t change his mind by the time he pens the last verse. He knows who God is and what He’s done. David has every reason to be confident in the Lord.

But still!

Does the Lord tolerate our doubts? Or does He insist on absolute trust devoid of the slightest deviation?

We don’t get answers from this psalm. We can take it by faith that the Lord loves David enough to bless him, but Psalm 138 lacks a ninth verse.

To get a deeper insight, we need to look to Jesus. How does He respond to the distressed dad?

“When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, He rebuked the impure spirit. ‘You deaf and mute spirit,’ He said, ‘I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’ 26The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, ‘He’s dead.’ 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.” – Mark 9:25-27

Christ gives him what he asked for. After addressing the man’s doubts, He frees the son, thereby honoring the father’s faith.

And Jesus even gives this man a second opportunity to trust, because it looks like Christ kills the son rather than saves him. That’s what the crowd thinks! But what about the dad? Does he believe that Jesus destroyed his child or rescued him?

The man didn’t have to wait long. Lifting up the boy and getting him to stand on his own two feet, Jesus proved He’s trustworthy. And compassionate.

God can handle our hesitations. He loves us enough to come to our aid even if our faith isn’t perfect. When we’re halfway confident, we need only be honest with the Lord. We don’t have to hide anything from Jesus. (We can’t anyway!)

If we trust in God, we can afford to reveal the condition of our souls to Him. Daring to do so demonstrates true faith, the kind that’s willing to be genuine before Him.

He’ll meet us halfway. 

with Bob Condly

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