OTHER TOOLS OF SHEPHERDING- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jer 1 - 2
OTHER TOOLS OF SHEPHERDING Friday, December 10, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Ps. 23:6) READ:  Acts 10:34-39 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalm 23:6). The eight tool a shepherd must possess is goodness. Goodness is an indispensable tool for leaders. A leader who is full of goodness will most likely succeed in his assignment whereas a leader who lacks this quality has already failed even before he started. Acts 10:38 says everywhere Jesus went, he was doing good. He was full of good works. Can this be said of you? Deficiency in goodness is responsible for the exit of potential congregational pillars in most churches today. When this quality is absent, there will be meanness, witch-hunting, scape-goatism, tribalism, nepotism, unforgiveness, bitterness, quarrel and strife. The truth is that you cannot sit on the fence on this matter. It is either you are good or bad. You cannot be in-between. If you are good, you will exude the fruit of the Spirit in all you do. The image of Jesus Christ will be evident in your life-style. Are you a good leader? A good leader is kind. Shortly before his death, David told his son Solomon to always be kind (1 Kings 2:1, 2-7). Assisting the needy is one way of demonstrating kindness. Some husbands are so mean and high-handed both to their wives and children. If you are wicked or mean to your wife, then you do not know what it means to be good. In addition to this, the shepherd must be equipped with mercy. The merciful is only being merciful to himself or herself because at the end of the day, that fellow will be the greatest beneficiary of his or her seeds of mercy (Prov. 11:17, Matt 5:7). The tenth tool is love. It was love that made the Good Shepherd to lay down His life for His sheep. According to John 3:16, love gives. If you say you love your congregation and you find it difficult to give your time, money, intellect and yourself to improve their lot, you are deceiving yourself. The much you are able to give determines the extent of your love. If love is present, there will be boldness, mercy and anointing. Anointing and the gifts of the Spirit operate better in an atmosphere of love. Which of these tools do you lack? Ask the Lord for it and for the grace to be an effective shepherd. ACTION POINT: If the anointing does not fill you with good works according to Acts 10:38, that anointing must be alien to God’s.  N.B Support www.10millionexercisebooks.com project today.