Read Psalm 23-24
Have you noticed we seem to have a leadership crisis in our world? There is a lot of distrust in leadership today. Harvey Weinstein, the founder of Miramax Pictures and Academy Award producer, was recently ousted from his own company for allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape. The leader of North Korea is a psycho. There hasn't been a president since President Kennedy to have an approval rating above 60%. And even he had his share of moral failures in his leadership (which came to light after his presidency).
When you hear the words Watergate, Iran-Contra, and Enron you think of leadership scandals. And pastors aren’t immune either. Jimmy Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, and more recently, Mark Driscoll and Perry Noble are just a few examples of leadership failures in the church. Nobody is immune from failing as a leader, including yours truly. Nobody, that is, except God. Aren’t you thankful we have a Heavenly Father who leads perfectly every moment of everyday? A leader we can trust and follow with our lives. That's what Psalm 23 reminds us of.
Now we need to understand the analogy of being compared to sheep. And, I’ve got to be honest with you, it’s not really a compliment. We are tempted to think of sheep as sweet, adorable, pure white little animals, and that God thinks of us like that- cute and clean and adorable. Um, no, not at all the analogy. So, here it is, here are some characteristics of sheep... they are dumb, directionless, defenseless and dirty. Sorry if that offends, but it's true. And yet God, our Good Shepherd, loves us anyways and chooses to provide for us and protect us.
And the next psalm, Psalm 24 tells us what our response should be. It is to pursue "cleans hands and a pure heart" (v. 4). It's to "seek the face of the God of Jacob" (v. 6). Because God provides and protects, we should pursue purity and a passionate walk with God. Psalm 23 reminds us that God is our shepherd. And the end of Psalm 24 reminds us that "he is the King of glory!". There is nothing and there is no one more glorious than God. Let's give Him our heart, let's give Him our all. Let's not be dumbs sheep. Let's humbly follow the only leader with follow completely.
How are you not following the leadership of God? In light of Psalm 23-24, what are you going to do about it?
God is the King of glory. How could you take time this week and bring God glory in your life?
Prayer of the day: "Lord of hosts, King glory, thank you that you are mindful of me, that you care for my needs. Thank you that you are patient with me when I wander off like a dumb sheep. Thank you for the Lamb that was sacrificed so that I may be forgiven when I wander. I love you Lord. Amen."