THE HONEY BEE AND THE BUZZARD

Surely we all have some knowledge regarding this insect and this fowl. Both have been placed here on this earth for different purposes as designed by the Creator, God Almighty. While their functions are vital, they are radical in contrast. The buzzard is rather despised by the human family. We esteem this bird as being unsightly in appearance and undesirable because of its work, the devouring of dead carcasses. Yet, in the balance of nature, this scavenger has a rightful place in our environment. The honeybee, on the other hand, is well thought of and respected. While we dislike the sting of such a small insect, we do appreciate the delicious honey that it makes for us. The bee can be seen visiting the beautiful flowers and various blooms in the vegetative kingdom. No wonder the honey that this bee makes is so sweet. Strangely enough, the buzzard and the honeybee remind us of the various attitudes and dispositions found in different people. First of all, some folk enjoy dwelling on the ungodly, the gossip, the hearsay, the ugly, the bad, the filthy, the hurtful, and the immoral. They seem to get their kicks over telling or hearing a good piece of juicy slander. And, the worse it stinks, the better they like it. This old world is filled with individuals who love filthiness. The Bible refers to people who “speak foolishness” and whose “heart will work iniquity” (Isaiah 32:6). Paul writes of the unrighteous in this manner, “Their throat is an open tomb;; With their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (Romans 3:13, 14). Their ultimate end is eternal perdition, for Jesus said in Matthew 12:36, 37, “But I say to you that every idle word men shall speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” We are grateful however that there are many Christians who love the good and the beautiful things of life. They think upon that which is pure, honest, just, true, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8). They feed upon the word of God that is “Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalms 19:10). They know that “Pleasant words are like honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul, and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). They “love life” and endeavor to “see good days”; therefore, they “refrain his tongue from evil” (I Peter 3:10). The question therefore is, “To be or not to be”. That is, are you soaring over dead carcasses and seeking the corrupt; or, are you feasting upon the beautiful and the good? Let us all ‘be’ (live) like the honeybee and not the buzzard!

"YOU SMELL LIKE SHEEP"

The brother and his wife were about to leave our house when I said these words to my Christian friend, “You smell like sheep”. You see, he and his wife have been helping to buy some of our groceries since the spring of 2020 when the Pandemic began in our nation. My brother in Christ is one of our six shepherds who serve and lead our congregation. I could safely say that all of our shepherds ‘smell like sheep’. The reason I make that statement is that I have observed them visiting the sick, staying with families in the hospitals when a loved one is in surgery, or visiting the sick whether in their homes, nursing homes, or in hospitals. I know they have carried in their cars the sick to doctors locally or in another city. They also encourage weak members to be more faithful to the Lord. They will also visit those who have fallen away from Christ and His church and encourage them to repent and come back to the Lord. To ‘smell like sheep’ you have to be among the sheep to lead, protect, feed, keep watch over them, and endeavor to know them. There are other terms that are in the New Testament regarding the work of those who are chosen to care for the flock which is under their oversight. They are elder (presbyter), overseer (bishop) in addition to shepherd (pastor). Here are a couple of passages of Scripture in which we find these terms. In Acts 20:17-28 we find the apostle Paul at Miletus on his way to Jerusalem. It was while he was there that he sent for the elders in Ephesus to meet him in Miletus. In verse 28, we read what he said to the elders, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” In 1 Peter 5:1,2, we read, “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers,, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, being examples to the flock” (Emphasis, mine, re). The only time the term “pastor” is used in Ephesians 4:11. And that is to be understood for one to “shepherd the flock of God which is among you” (1 Peter 5:3). Of course, God’s design is for men of age and wisdom to oversee the work of a congregation and I know personally there are times when ‘business meetings’ are needful, having served as an elder for eight years ; however, I appreciate so much the term ‘shepherd’ which involves moving among the sheep in a personal way as a shepherd would be involved in caring for the flock in his care. The apostle Peter gives faithful shepherds this assurance: “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).