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God Is The Great Shepherd
3/21/2017

Daily Devotions: by Christina Farris

Ezekiel 34:1-31 KJV
(1) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(2) Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
(3) Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
(4) The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
(5) And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
(6) My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
(7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
(8) As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
(9) Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
(10) Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
(11) For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
(12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
(13) And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
(14) I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
(15) I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
(16) I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
(17) And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.
(18) Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
(19) And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
(20) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
(21) Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
(22) Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
(23) And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
(24) And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
(25) And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
(26) And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
(27) And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
(28) And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
(29) And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
(30) Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
(31) And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

The great Shepherd is the God of Heaven and all the earth. God sees the shepherd of the earth not always being shepherds that care for the sheep. If you find a shepherd that cares for the sheep, you better treasure them. They are not about how to line their pockets in ministry but how to heal the sheep both physical health as well as spiritual health. To see sheep grow and prosper in their daily life despite what goes on in the world. Not all shepherds care for the sheep, in fact some rather make money off you then care for you. When I think of our legends of ministers of our day, I wonder how many truly cared for the God’s heritage and how many believed in lining their own pockets. How boast on the wealth of their flock to provide for them verse on those who barely make ends meet.

The shepherds of our government like King David in Israel history cared for the people and their protection. They cared on not what they could gain, but on the care of the sheep. Our own government houses several types of ministers. Those that truly care for the people and those that only care about the financial wealth of the political world. Without care of those in office about the people that government would only be about themselves and not how they can help the people.

There was a time in history that Social Security and Welfare was not even thought of. The government cared not for their poor beyond the job market. It was up to family and neighbors to help those less fortunate. People that were treasured where definitely cared for and those less treasured might be cared for if not abused or killed, because there was not enough food to go around. It hard to imagine a world where the old die starving, yet if you look in nursing homes at some entering in, will find those not will cared for. If the nursing home is a caring place the old heal to continue living until their last breath.

How our modern world is blessed by the aid of the of our nation and their neighbors. How our own nation is blessed by the government, as well as the churches of our nation that care for the people of both rich and poverty. People able to work thrive with open job market though it might not always meant the job they want. Yet what the nation does not do is heal people spiritual, only God can do that. God is the Great Shepherd who heals his flock and delivers his flock from evil. He cares for his own and those not his own, so they to may trust in Him. Churches working cooperatively to help the less fortunate in both local and globally. When one thinks of how the different groups work, it is a shame if one American should ever starve, yet it happens daily. Sometimes it is a person’s pride that keeps them from seeking help and sometimes it abuse of both government and the church. One has to ask if it only one person or a group that have hurt then has those God put in placed failed. The answer is no, because simply put the church and government can not control all that work for them though they might try.

Yet when it comes down to it. God wants to be Lord over all. It takes bad ministers to turn the hearts of the people toward Him. Without the hope of faith some of us would never survive the next day or the next. If it is hope and faith in God and not the healing of medical world and the spiritual world, through the governmental world, one must ask who will be there to turn the hearts towards God but ministers that care for the sheep of God’s heritage. To care about the people. We all grow old and some of us will not have family when we are old to care for us. Is our life over only if the world around us are evil. And if those around us care because they to know they to will reach old age with or without family, the need to care is passed from generation to generation. Yet it is truly God love that compels the world to love too. We return to the Lord to give account of our life. God will judge his people accordingly, as well as their work. Yet without faith none will be saved.

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for your mercy and grace. For caring for me, and sending people around me to care for me in times of need. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study for Devotion:John 10:11-12 KJV
(11) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
(12) But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

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