Shepherds with No Senses
“The shepherds of my people have lost their senses. They no longer seek wisdom from the Lord. Therefore, they fail completely, and their flocks are scattered.” – Jeremiah 10:21
The words of Jeremiah are hauntingly relevant in our day. They paint a picture that is too accurate to keep us from blushing. They indict the modern-day pulpit as never before.
There is a creeping darkness in our land today and I believe it is because of the lack of light from our church’s pulpits. Many a preacher is “treading water” in the pulpit on Sunday, just biding time until Monday when they can pursue their own personal interests and hobbies.
This is the day of the “microwave message.” Instead of spending hours in prayer and the word, sermons are “got” from the internet and every other conceivable source…and gotten quickly. Illustrations that are not personal and anecdotes that ring emptily, line the average sermon and leave the sheep week and anemic. Messages are no longer blood-filled but instead leave a “good feel.”
The so-called shepherds of our day “no longer seek wisdom from the Lord,” and the sheep show it to be so. Discernment is almost a lost jewel in the church today. The ability to identify truth and error is almost gone. Pews may be full, but hearts are empty. The slightest blow of the enemy brings many casualties in the church. Failure has become commonplace among the converts of these miserable ministers.
What can be done for the “shepherds that have lost their senses?” I found as a boy that the senses in my knees were intensified when a few layers of skin were peeled back. The flesh exposed became highly sensitive to everything it came in contact with once the outer layers were taken away.
Drastic times call for drastic actions. It is time for the outer layers of hypocrisy and sin to be peeled back in the lives of those who call themselves shepherds. Let this happen and there would be a mass defection from the ministry. Pulpits would be emptied by two-thirds; that’s because many “good men” are not “God’s men!”
Judah was being warned by Jeremiah of coming destruction. America is facing destruction under the mighty hand of God. Jeremiah responded by praying:
“I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die. Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you–on the peoples that do not call upon your name…” — Jeremiah 10:23-25
Shepherds, come to your senses! Pray! Seek the face of God before it is too late! Stop dabbling and babbling and repent with your whole heart! Realize that your life is not your own! Realize that you don’t have all the answers…you don’t even know all the questions! Humble yourself before the mighty hand of God and He will lift you up!
