In the language of the New Testament, those in positions of spiritual leadership are called “shepherds.” In Bible times, being a shepherd was a familiar occupation. I doubt that any of you listening to me today are shepherds with a flock of sheep, but I think we still have a fairly good grasp of the job: you take care of the sheep in your flock. Now, being assigned the position of shepherd doesn’t necessarily make someone a good shepherd. We need some instruction! Listen to the Bible’s advice: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care,…not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

When leading others, don’t arrogantly assume that you know what others should do. Telling people what to do is demeaning. It doesn’t teach them how to handle life but keeps them dependent on the leader. A far better approach is to lead by example. Share your life with others and show them how to live as a Christian in every circumstance. Instead of being ashamed of poverty or proud of wealth, show others how to live Christianly whatever your situation. Demonstrate how a Christian deals with pain and with pleasure, with good children and with prodigal children, with a good job and with a bad job. In other words, be an example to the flock.

Every one of us is surrounded by other sheep trying to figure out how to live life successfully. Our opportunity is to be an example to “those entrusted to [us].”