Addressing the pain of a fellow Sister In CHRIST I was Awakened by the implication of the word "hireling." The first mention In Scripture Is In the 7 Chapter of The Book Of Job-it's definition according to the Hebrew #7916 from #7936 "a man at wages by the day or year:-hired(man, servant), hireling. After Job 7:01 there are at least 08 more mentions with JESUS' MENTION In the 10 Chapter of The Book Of John verse 12 "Hired workers are not like THE SHEPHERD. They don't Own The Sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. Hired workers run away because they don't Care about The Sheep."
The 16 Chapter of The Book Of Isaiah verse 14, "The contract of a hired worker is Good for Three Years, but Moab's Glory and Greatness Won't last any longer than that. Only a few of its people will survive, and they will be left helpless."
Two Of the Strongest mentions are Malachi 3:5-8, THE LORD ALL POWERFUL SAID: "I'M NOW ON MY WAY TO JUDGE You. And I WILL QUICKLY CONDEMN ALL Who practice witchcraft or cheat in marriage or tell lies in court or rob workers of their pay or mistreat widows and orphans or steal the property of foreigners or refuse to Respect ME, Descendants of Jacob, I AM THE LORD ALL POWERFUL AND I NEVER CHANGE. THAT IS WHY You HAVEN'T BEEN WIPED OUT, even though You have ignored and disobeyed MY Laws ever since the time of Your Ancestors. But If You Return To ME, I WILL RETURN TO You."
THE LORD IS SPECIFICALLY REFERRING To The Tithes & Offerings Which Are HIS SEVERANCE FOR Man's Ability To Work and Be Successful.
Abraham began this form of Honor when He Met The King Of Salem and Evidently A High Priest Melchizedek.-Genesis 14:18-24
It is the hireling that abuses the funds allocated for the orphan and widows-James 01:27.
I joined a Congregation because I had heard of "New Leadership" and Witnessed The Pastor Teaching The Word Rightly. The previous Pastor also Taught The Word Rightly. However, I went with a need to save my marriage and The Pastor said, "Well, Sista I myself am separated and going through some terrible times with the mother of my kids and sometimes you just have to let go and move on."
This was not the answer I was seeking I was telling that to myself and sought counseling from a Man Of GOD. He failed me. Then I, my marriage.
Circumstances that evolved into situations enveloped our atmosphere causing rifts, rants and reacting rather than responding.
It's a terrible place to be in when a marrige is crumbling.
I was told the same day I left, the Pastor quit because he felt he was not receiving enough pay.
I was flabbergasted. I didn't know there was such a thing. I just thought somehow GOD PROVIDED and The Tithes covered the Expenses of the builing and the Pastor.
Two years later I hear and witness a New Pastor with a New vision, a New direction. I rejoined and became Active Immediately in the Building of GOD'S CHURCH.
I had felt and witnessed a few disappointing scenarios but Pledged TO GOD That By Any Means Necessary I Would Not Lean To my understanding but Seek THE LORD AND FOLLOW HIS WILL. I even attempted to Encourage The Pastor when I saw him under attack. I was taken aback when I learned that he too had quit for financial disputes.
JESUS INFORMED Us to Try The Spirits(1.John 4:1-4) To Watch and Pray(Matthew 26:40-42) to Prevent failures.
Thank GOD My Desire To Please GOD Is Stronger than Mankind's popularity or approval. I was Spiritually Wounded but I Persevered With THE STRONG HAND OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD.
The Sister that prompted this article was Spiritually Grieving the Loss of Life in relation to a Massacre at an Army Base In Texas and other Reports Of Life senselessly taken. She said, "I know that GOD Calls them home".
That outraged My Spiritual Intellect. I dislike hirelings that misinform the families of Loved Ones due to lack of a popular answer.
To enlighten Our Minds about Shepherds I sought the assistance of Wikipedia and found: "Metaphorically, the term is used for God, especially in the Judeo-Christian tradition (e.g. Psalm 23), and in Christianity especially Jesus, who called himself The Good Shepherd (Gospel of John 10:11). The Ancient Israelites were a pastoral people and there were many shepherds among them. It may also be worth noting that many Biblical heroes were shepherds, among them the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, the twelve tribes, the prophet Moses, and King David; and the Old Testament prophet Amos, who was a shepherd in the rugged area around Tekoa. In the New Testament, angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds.
The same metaphor is also applied to priests, with Roman Catholic and Church of England bishops having the shepherd's crook among their insignia (see also Lycidas). In both cases, the implication is that the faithful are the "flock" who have to be tended. This is in part inspired by Jesus's injunctions to Peter, "Feed my sheep," which is the source of the pastoral image in Lycidas. The term "Pastor", originally the Latin word for "shepherd", is now used solely to denote the clergy of most Christian denominations.
The Good Shepherd is one of the thrusts of Biblical scripture. This illustration encompasses many ideas, including God's care for his people and his discipline to correct the wandering sheep. The tendency of humans to put themselves into danger's way and their inability to guide and take care of themselves apart from the direct power and leading of God is also reinforced with the metaphor of sheep in need of a shepherd. [1]
Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, prided himself in being part of a rich tradition of prophets who found their means of livelihood as shepherds.
Sikhism also has many mentions of shepherd tales. There are many relevant quotations, such as "We are the cattle, God almighty is our shepherd."
This concept has also been used frequently by critics of organized religion to present an unflattering portrayal.
JESUS HIMSELF EXPLICITLY DEFINED A GOOD SHEPHERD when HE STATED, "I TELL You FOR CERTAIN THAT I AM THE GATE FOR THE SHEEP.
Everyone who came before ME was a thief or a robber, and The Sheep Did Not Listen to any of them.
I AM THE GATE. All Who Come In Through ME WILL BE SAVED. THROUGH ME They WILL COME AND FIND PASTURE.
A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy.
I CAME SO THAT EVERYONE WOULD HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT IN ITS FULLEST.
I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD, AND THE GOOD SHEPHERD GIVES UP HIS LIFE FOR HIS SHEEP.
I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
I KNOW MY SHEEP, AND They Know ME. JUST AS THE FATHER KNOWS ME, I KNOW THE FATHER, AND I GIVE UP MY LIFE FOR MY SHEEP.
I HAVE OTHER SHEEP That Are Not In This Sheep Pen.
I MUST BRING THEM TOGETHER TOO, WHEN They Hear MY VOICE.
THEN THERE WILL BE ONE FLOCK OF SHEEP AND ONE SHEPHERD.
THE FATHER LOVES ME, because I GIVE UP MY LIFE, so that I MAY RECEIVE IT BACK AGAIN. No one takes MY LIFE from ME. I GIVE IT UP WILLINGLY!
I HAVE THE POWER TO GIVE IT UP AND RECEIVE IT BACK AGAIN, JUST AS MY FATHER COMMANDED ME TO DO. John 10:7-18
A Good Shepherd Would Not Leave His Sheep unAttended.
I have not heard from My Pastor since he quit but I sent him an E-mail of Encouragement, Give to him My Tithes for that week as I Was Receiving My Spiritual Food from him.
I Discerned a different spirit and he promised to get in touch with Me to guide My Faith as I still regard him as My Pastor.
If It Weren't For GOD'S GRACE and LOVE, or my Knowledge of GOD and HIS WORD, I would be lost, and abandoned by "a man of GOD". Thank JESUS FOR BEING MY SHEPHERD.
Jesus SAVED my marriage, My life and my Faith.
Got Shepherd or hireling?
