Jump Start # 977

Proverbs 27:23 “Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds”

I love this verse. It speaks volumes to those who are given the responsibility of leading others. The following verse states, “For riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations.” For the true shepherd in ancient Israel, the health and wellbeing of the flocks changed year after year. One year things might go pretty well for the shepherd. The following year, he is fighting a disease that has taken hold of many sheep. The shepherd could not set back on auto pilot and follow the same plan year after year. Each season presented new challenges, new enemies and the constant watching and care of the shepherd.

Sheep and people are a lot alike. God knows that better than we do. Of all the animals on the planet, God compared people to sheep. We need leadership because we tend to wander off. We need someone watching us because we do not pay attention to what is going on. We frighten easily. We don’t do well with tension or strife among us. Emotional bugs can bother us just as much as the real bugs bothered sheep.

Know well the condition of your flocks. Consider some applications to this.

• The family. Dad’s are put in charge of leading the family. The Biblically word is, “head.” Sometimes this word “head” has literally gone to some guys head and they see it as control, bossing and getting their way. Wrong. It’s about leadership. It’s about getting the family to Heaven. It’s about making choices that is best for the family, which may not be his personal favorite choice. Know well the condition of your flocks. How is the family doing? Do you know dad? Are the little ones bothered by kids at school? Are the teenagers discouraged and floundering? Do you know the condition emotionally? How are they doing spiritually? It’s more than just driving the car to the church building on Sunday. Do they believe? Do they get it spiritually? How would a shepherd in ancient Israel know the condition of his flock? He had to walk among them, look at them, touch them and spend time with them. How does dad know the condition of the family? He has to spend time with them, one on one. He has to develop a relationship of trust and communication. In too many homes, teenagers are playing around with drugs and the parents are clueless. Know well the condition of your flocks. Long before the drugs begin, there were issues with rules, choice of friends and things like that. The failures at home are connected to someone not knowing the condition of the flock.
• The finances. I’ve preached several sermons recently about money. Some are uncomfortable with that topic in a church setting. They fail to understand that Jesus talked more about money than He did Heaven. The subject of money is found in 16 of Jesus’ parables. Our finances affect our marriage, our wellbeing, our ability to help others, our privilege of supporting the kingdom of God. Money is a Bible topic. Know well the condition of your flocks. It is not uncommon in a marriage that one pays the bills and the other has no idea of what is going on. One is trying to keep the family afloat and the other is out spending like Congress. Know well the condition of your flock, or here, finances. Do you have a plan? Do you follow that plan? Do you plan to work until you are 95? Do you think you will be able to work until you are 95? Money habits developed young in life will affect you the rest of your life. It is the responsibility of the home to teach stewardship and proper attitudes and ways of handling money. If mom and dad do not know the condition of their flock, how will the kids ever learn? Some couples do not like to talk about money. It bothers them. It makes them nervous. An argument always takes place. So, instead of knowing the condition of your flocks, they just ignore it and too often live pay check to pay check, with no hope of anything changing in their life. Know well. Study the subject. Read up on this. Talk to some wise brethren about this. Realize that there are always famines. The prodigal ran into a famine and he had no money. Joseph ran into a famine but he had prepared Egypt for it. College payments, flat tires, sick dogs, and holidays all seem to happen about the same time. Disaster if you do not know the condition of your flocks.
• The condition of the church. This phrase, ‘know well the condition of your flocks,’ is especially true to those who lead God’s people. They need to know the condition. Too many don’t. Too many do not realize, just like a literal flock of sheep, the condition changes from year to year. Some years, things are going well. Other years, it seems everyone is in a funk. Wise shepherds realize this. They understand ‘one size fits all’ is not always the best method in teaching. Special classes addressed for special needs are a premium. Making adjustments in schedules, paying attention to specific areas can strengthen the flock of God. A new member and one who has been around for 25 years do not have the same needs. Do shepherds realize that? A single mom has different concerns than a widow. A college student is facing unique challenges that a 45 year old man may not understand. The moving away of a family affects the spirit of the flock. The death of a favorite member affects the flock. Know well the condition.

Throughout this land, elderships are waking up and realizing that they have spent far too much time dealing with administration decisions and they haven’t been shepherding the flocks. Too many know about the budget but not the condition of the flock. Changes are taking place. God’s shepherds are realizing that too many have fallen away under their watch. Too many are struggling and are discouraged and unless some special attention is given, they too will soon be lost. People business is the work of elders. Corporate decisions made behind closed doors is not the concept we get from the Bible. It is more of a shepherd walking among the sheep and looking at them with tender care and trying to help the sheep to be healthy and strong. That is the work of God’s leaders. Know the condition of your flocks!

• Your heart. The greatest area that needs to be looked at is our own heart. Know well the condition of your flocks applies here. How are you doing spiritually? Are you connecting with the Lord? Do you have a relationship of trust and love? Do you long for Heaven? Are you growing? Too often, we base our faith upon how things are doing down at the church house. We live our faith through the church. It shouldn’t be that way. We ought to have a strong and powerful faith, no matter what happens down at the church building. But it’s not that way. Too often, when the church is struggling, our faith is struggling. When the church is at peace, we are at peace. Our faith is independent of the church. It is not lived through the church. Our faith is in the Lord. So, how are you doing? Do you know? Are you honest with yourself? A shepherd who ignored a diseased sheep, would one day find that sheep lying dead. Problems do not fix themselves, nor do they just go away. A leaky roof doesn’t fix itself. Cancer doesn’t fix itself. Problems and issues need to be looked at and addressed. At stake is your soul. You ought to know the condition of your heart.

Know well…

Roger