The message titled Shepherd of My People reveals the divine responsibility placed upon those called to lead God’s flock. In Ezekiel 34:1–2, God speaks against shepherds who feed themselves instead of tending to the sheep entrusted to their care. The role of a shepherd is sacred and demands accountability, sacrifice, and genuine love for God’s people. Every shepherd of God’s people is expected to nurture, protect, and guide the flock faithfully, not for personal gain but to fulfill the will of the One who called them.

Ezekiel 34:1,2 ( And the word of the LORD came unto me saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds. Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?)

The office of a shepherd is the most delicate position one can be in life, if you call yourself when God didn’t call you, you will have to take responsibility for the position you arrogate to yourself before God and man.

If God also calls you, you will have to take responsibility for your calling and do what is stated in the Word, so you will not be guilty of not fulfilling the task.

There is a woe for the shepherds who refuse to do the work of the shepherds according to how it was assigned to them.

If you read from verse one to six of that Bible passage, you will see the failure of a shepherd in doing what God commanded them to their sheep.

They love the benefits attached to being a shepherd but do not want to take the responsibility given to them, they eat the fat and are clothed with wool, kill the sheep and eat them, but do not feed the flock as they are supposed to.

They have not strengthened the diseased, nor have they healed the sick among them, those who are broken are yet to be bound, or did they bring back those who backslide to the fold: they didn’t try to call the lost by preaching the gospel of repentance to them.

They rule them by force to the extent that the flock scatter looking for solace in the hands of false prophets and herbalists out there, they are parading mountains and climbing hills searching for a solution to their problems when the shepherds have already abandoned them to their faith.

They only have an interest in taking from them but when the challenges of life come they flee and leave them to their fate.

The sheep of the pastures are the heritage of God, he invented so much in them by giving Himself for their redemption.

By his spirit provide shepherds to care for them and lead them to a place of greener pasture and the place of the still waters, but unfortunately, the shepherds only care for what they’ll gain not a sacrifice on their side to protect the sheep.

The sheep of God became prey to the beast of the field for their uncaring attitude toward the shepherds. To them, the wolves came to attack the sheep, and the shepherds failed to protect them from danger..

Satan is taking advantage of the sheep because of the uncaring attitude of the shepherds who only feed themselves but leave the sheep to famish for the Word of God and the necessities of life.

Sheep are only being fed with junk from the pulpit which can’t satisfy their souls.

As it was in the old Old Testament the day of Israel, so also it is in our present generation of believers.

Many shepherds who call themselves into God’s service are not ready to face the sacrifice attached to being in God’s presence daily to learned from him.

If truly you’re called by God, he would have taken you to the quarry ground to fashion your souls to live according to his Will and as you receive from him, you will also have to deliver to the sheep out there just like Moses.

If God didn’t call you and you called yourself, you’re on your own; I pity servants of God who called themselves because of the honour and benefits attached for they failed to look at the responsibility on their shoulders that the sheep should rest on in their time of Jacob’s troubles.

They are comfortably collecting offerings and tithes but not responding to the sheep’s needs for spiritual and physical survival.

A man of God whose member was involved in a work accident came for help but he refused to help him, for he claimed that there were no funds in the church’s purse but he was able to buy a coaster bus for the church the next day.

The man died groaning in pain because of thirty thousand naira, while the shepherd spent millions of naira to acquire the vehicle.

Are materials more important than the souls of men?

As a shepherd, you, may obtain all the materials in the world but it’s only souls that belong to God.

Won’t you give God his dues in season and out of season?

All the offerings deposited in your church purse belong to God and he assigned you to use that money to care for your sheep not to become fat in eating the offering.

If you enjoy the benefits of being a pastor also start enjoying the sacrifice on your side, this is the two-sided coin in becoming a man of God.

How can you say you’re shepherding a congregation of ten to twenty thousand souls and you don’t know each member?

How many of them have you visited their house and know about their welfare?

Are you aware that if anything happens to anyone of them you must provide a solution within your reach, physical and spiritual?

It’s the spirit of greed that makes some shepherds want to pastor a large congregation of thousands to their own condemnation.

There is no delegation of power, you take over Sunday service and Sunday school, wherever your members are congregating, and even Bible study is your task to the people of millions of souls. How will your sheep grow to become a shepherd in the future?

Moses needs to delegate power to seventy of the elders of Israel if he wants to serve God faithfully.

Jesus Christ delegated power to his disciples, authority over Satan and his demons is delegated to the heirs of salvation, it’s not all things you call him to do, under the authority of his name in your mouth, you will put Satan where he belongs.

He sent out his disciples back them with the power in his name and they came back with testimony to the glory of God….to be continued

Prayer: Father Lord deliver your sheep from the hand of false shepherds in Jesus name amen.