15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
Learn It:
What a wonderful gift to be sought after by the shepherd. In this passage God seems to take this opportunity to not rely on or use other shepherds (i.e. prophets or kings) to seek out the sheep. In this passage God decides to take all of this into God's own hands. The language here is wonderful in that God will seek us out...God comes to us looking for us when we are lost. That indicates that sometimes we might stray and not realize it and God will come and bring us back into the fold. God will help all who are injured and all who are weak. God is here to look out for all of us that have lost the way and have been pushed aside from those who are fat and strong. We have a God that will look out for us in all the difficult times in our lives.
Share It:
Try to think about a time in your life of faith that you have strayed from your beliefs. How did you get back to the flock? Who or what was it that brought you back? This might be a good time for parents to do most of the sharing and let the children listen. It's good to understand that faith can sometimes be difficult and that through it all, or in the end you kept or strengthened your faith. When are times when you think your faith might be challenged or when you might have a lot of questions about your faith? Why do you think that you might have those questions during those times? Share these thoughts and other ideas that come up during your sharing this week.
Live It:
This week I simply want you to live out your faith walk to the fullest. As you do, and as you realize how much freedom we have in this part of the world I want you to say a simple prayer for those who don't have the freedom to live out their Christian faith because of persecution. Pray for them and their families and for those who persecute them.
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Please post comments with your experience with the share it or live it part of this weeks post. Let others know if you and your family found this useful.
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