Guard Your Hearts and Guard the Flock

"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock that the Holy Spirit has appointed you to as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, not sparing the flock. And men will rise up from your own number with deviant doctrines to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering the night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears. And now I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified." Acts 20:28-32

Knowing that people we shepherd are the Lords and purchased with His blood and not ours built with our own egos, may sober our attitude to them. Wether we lead a family, a church or a business, we lead someone and each of those someones are purchased by His blood and therefore important to Him.

Paul believes with certainty that wolves will come, for what reason? To take the flock by deception, for themselves. A wolf does not look after the flock as Paul has admonished these elders, but rather consumes the flock for it's own end. We are seeing today men go to jail for abuse to the flock, especially of a sexual nature, and this towards children, the most vulnerable.

The message of grace is able to build us up. Grace is the only building block we have that in its purest form builds wholesome lives. Attempting to build with focus on self, egos or positive attitudes alone, wiithout Christ, will crumble into ruin. Amen! Build wisely!

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