Friday, August 30, 2013

THE SHEPHERD’S STANDARD: The Mindset of Shepherds



“A bishop then must be…sober-minded…” (1 Timothy 3:2 NKJV)
                                                                                           
Those who would shepherd God’s flock must have the proper mindset.  They must think straight.  Their character develops out of Biblical convictions and those convictions are formed from being immersed in the study of God’s Word and commitment to live accordingly.  This is being “sober-minded.” 

Note that the qualifications do not mention seminary training or possession of any particular spiritual gifts.  Instead they are character qualifications.  Spiritual leaders are to be the kind of person that Christian teaching is intended to produce. [1]

The fact is that seminary is intended to be a tool to help develop the quality of being, “sober-minded.”  It is not, however, a guarantee that will be the result, and neither does the absence of such formal education prohibit the preacher’s growth in Biblical thinking.  Irrespective of a Master of Divinity or such degree, there must be a determined choice for the pastor to saturate His mind and surrender His will to lessons learned from Scripture.  He must be mastered by Divinity!

There is much that can be gleaned from the experiences of our elders—whether it is a professor in seminary or an old deacon in our church family.  The Holy Spirit will teach us in the classroom of life if we will listen.  If we won’t learn, we cannot lead.

Jesus promises that the truth will set us free.  Our minds, constrained by Biblical conviction, actually channel the pastor’s energy in a liberating usefulness to be all God designed us to be. 
The potential God works into us can be unleashed through thinking Christianly and behaving accordingly.

A PRAYER

Father of Truth,
Everything I need to know, Your Spirit will teach me.  You have given us the mind of Christ.  What promise I find in those words!  But I must listen to Your voice and learn Your ways.  I cannot absorb the message until I am willing to apply it.  To think as the natural man is to be degenerate in understanding and I confess it is so easy to succumb to that.  Please help me!  The wisdom of this world sounds so right and is so appealing.  Yet, it is warped!  But, Lord when I hear it shouted from so many and so loudly, I mourn how enticing it is to me.  God, put my head on straight!  Drive me continually to Your Word for answers! 
In the name of the Wonderful Counselor,
Amen.



[1] Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible reader’s companion (electronic ed., p. 835). Wheaton: Victor Books.

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