I have often thought of the many passages in the Bible that refer to a “Rod.” Some sound comforting and some sound almost harsh.

This entire chapter is full of guidance for individual and group living.

I’ve often thought of that rod as a tool for punishment, but a pastor friend of mine taught me that the rod is an instrument for guiding not abusing or punishing. The question then is How do I guide?

My wife was born in Scotland, so it was natural that we took a nice long vacation to the old country. On that trip we were in a lovely bed and breakfast overlooking Eilean Donan Castle. From our second-floor window I could see the castle and a fenced pasture of about two acres with a hundred or more sheep grazing.

Early in the morning, looking out that window, I was amazed to see the sheep lined up two or three abreast from corner to corned in that square field. Amazed at this behavior, I watched for an extended time. To my left was a hill overlooking the field. From over the crest of that hill came a lady shepherd and her dog. She even had the picturesque shepherd’s rod. She opened the gate where the sheep were lined up. She then proceeded, with her dog’s help, to escort the herd over the hill and out of my view.

Over the years, I’ve often thought of that scene as a message to me about doing my duty as a follower of our shepherd. As a retired member of the military, I understand the use of the rod. To be good shepherds we must use the rod to guide others. The Teddy Rosevelt quote “Speak softly and carry a big stick” brings us to another passage Luke 20: 25 “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God (CEB).”

Puzzling as this might be, we must remember that the shepherd’s rod is to be used to guide ourselves and others. The sheep dog I observed in Scotland seemed to gently nudge and occasionally bark to guide his charges.

As we approach the end of one year and the beginning of the next, I think this lesson can be applied to us both individually and collectively. As a church, we guide one another and provide opportunity to show our discipline to the world. That same lesson can even be extended to each of us as we have leadership responsibilities as part of a family, a city, a state, a nation, or even the world. In Matthew, Jesus said, “…, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 CEB).

Let us pray:

Father God, please continue to guide each of us to be the example of how to follow you our shepherd and to gently yet firmly do our part in shepherding others with a loving rod. Amen.

This devotion was written by Ed Cherry and Jim Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.