Thoughts on recent blessings

I was thinking on the benevolence of the ministry of Desiring God, and others like them, who go out of their way to give, give, and give some more. This stands in sharp contrast to the so called ministries which exist solely for the purposes of fleecing the flock, led by wolves in sheep's clothing.

DG (Desiring God) has been a tremendous blessing to me in addition to the huge blessing that DG is by their website which offers free audio and written material from 20 plus years of ministry, and the great publications from John Piper, and the various Christ-centered conferences which they host.

A few years ago I contacted a DG representative while at one of the conferences. I was seeking to find a paperback copy of a DG book, "The Dangerous Duty of Delight." I was merely looking to purchase one for an inmate in the county jail. To my great amazement I was provided with a box full of them to give away. It took me a while but I finally gave them all away and again contacted DG. This time I received two boxes full of the books.

I recently contacted DG and informed them my supply was almost gone. I also asked if they had suggestions for resources that might be helpful and effective regarding jail ministry and for sharing with the inmates. Keeping with their previous benevolent practices they again blessed me with several free books, booklets, and pamphlets to review and decide which ones would be most beneficial.

DG has also blessed our church by granting us significantly reduced prices to purchase books which we then brought to the Back to the Bible Training College in Barberton South Africa.

As I was considering the blessing that this ministry has been to me, it occurred to me that this is unfortunately not the norm. I was reminded of Ezekiel 34:1-10.

Two kinds of pastors / Two kinds of ministries:

One will give you the shirt off of his back and the other will convince you to give him yours. One will lay down his life for you and the other will certainly not. One will clothe you and feed you at his own expense and the other will shear the fleece right off your back and take the food from your mouth.

Ezekiel 34:1-10
34:1 The word of the LORD came to me: 34:2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 34:3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 34:4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 34:5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. 34:6 My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them. 34:7 "Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 34:8 As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 34:9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 34:10 Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

Thankfully these are not the only type of shepherds that exist. The Lord Himself promises us to be our great Shepherd in the following verses.

Ezekiel 34:11-16
34:11 "For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 34:12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 34:13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 34:14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 34:15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. 34:16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

May the Lord be pleased to raise up more ministries like Desiring God, ministries who give at their own expense to benefit others. Delighting to follow Jesus' command to love one another as He has self-sacrificially loved us (John 15:12).