Thursday-The Chief Shepherd

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Peter 5:4

Every four years, there’s a national election in America where people vote for someone to become the head of the Executive Branch of the United States. After all the projections are made, a winner is declared. A date is set for the inauguration when the winner will take the oath on the steps of the Capital Building.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court leads the winner through the oath. And after the oath is complete, and they’ve said, “So help me God,” they become The President of The United States. And for the rest of their term, they are always introduced as The President of The United States of America.

But then something happens. Once they leave office, another person become The President of The United States. They lose the “The” if front of their title and just become President. There can me many Presidents but there can only be one The President of The United States.

You see, there can be multiple Presidents that are alive at the same time. But there can only be one President who’s actually in charge. You can’t have a bunch of people who are The President. There’s only one.

Peter’s saying something similar here. There might be many shepherds, but there’s only one who’s the Chief Shepherd. Throughout history, there have been a whole bunch of people that God has used to lead his people. These shepherds were prophets, priests, and kings. They’d shepherd God’s people and then they’d either pass it on or die.

But when it comes to the Chief Shepherd, this is something altogether different. Or should I say someone altogether different. There’s no debate, voting, or election when it comes to who’s the Chief Shepherd. There’s also not a class or test to pass for being the Chief Shepherd. There’s no working your way up the ladder until you arrive as the Chief Shepherd.

The Chief Shepherd can’t be just another person like you and me. Why? Because they give crowns of glory that never fade away. And that just doesn’t happen here on planet Earth with average, run of the mill people.

In my mind, I can still see Mary Ann on our wedding day. The color of her hair. The flowers that she grew and dried for her bridal bouquet. Her white dress. It hasn’t changed one little bit throughout the years in my mind.

But look at the pictures from that day, and you’ll see something very different. Everything’s faded. What was bright white is now a slightly dull ivory color. The edges of the photographs are curled up a little bit too.

You see, everything in this world is on a road. A road of falling apart. A road where everything new eventually gets old. A road that’s leading over the horizon. A road that leads from life to death.

Look at it this way. What in your life never gets old? Never gets dull. Never rusts. Never breaks down. Never wears out. The very short answer is nothing. Everything, and I mean everything in this life, eventually wears out. Falls down. Rusts away to nothing. Gets weaker and falls apart.

So, the Chief Shepherd can’t be from this world. If he was, then he’d never be able to give out those crowns of glory that never fade away. The not fading away tells us that the Chief Shepherd is literally out of this world. And what the Chief Shepherd gives is exactly what we want. What we crave for with all our hearts.

We ache inside for a crown of glory that will never fade. The crown of glory is like a trophy that recognizes achievement. Like a graduation diploma that says you’ve finished all the courses and passed all the tests. This crown comes along with the words that we were made to hear. That we so desperately want to be said to us by God.

Well done, good and faithful servant!

Matthew 25:21

We were made to be with God. To enjoy his company. To serve him and each other. And when we’ve done all that he’s asked, these few and simple words are reward enough. To receive these words from the only one in the universe whose opinion matters. To hear our creator and savior say this is the highest mountain top experience possible.

Working ourselves to death to try and fill ourselves with money, things, and power will leave us empty and lonely. Trying to control everything will frustrate us so badly that we won’t be able to make sense of anything.

The only path to true peace and happiness in this world is to give ourselves to the Chief Shepherd. To let him call the shots. To give him control over our lives so that our only response is, “Yes sir.” This is what the Chief Shepherd deserves. This is what we were made to give him. This is true happiness and purpose. True enjoyment and life.

Noodling Questions

• How would you describe the Chief Shepherd?

• Why do we pull away from people who have power and authority over us?

• What’s holding us back from putting the Chief Shepherd back in charge?