1 Peter 2:25
Thoughts from Josh Talbot
Dive Deeper
“For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
1 Peter 2:25
Behind the Scenes
This week are diving deep into the image of God as our caretaker and protector. The past couple of days we have looked at what it means to be sought and nurtured by the Good Shepherd. 1 Peter 2:25 introduces yet another attribute of God’s love, which is to be an “Overseer” of our souls. Our Good Shepherd not only cares for and nurtures us, His flock, but He also watches for danger that may be preying on His sheep. Last week, we discussed spiritual warfare and how our battles are not against flesh and blood, but against the evil forces (Ephesians 6:12). As such, it is critical that we are armed for this spiritual battle and that we have a leader, or protector, over our spiritual selves guiding us to safety.
To understand what an Overseer is, I looked up several definitions of this role. There were three key terms that I believe embody what it means for God to be the Overseer of our souls. They are (1) to direct or supervise, (2) to survey or watch from a higher position, and (3) to look over or examine. In each of these ways the Lord provides preparedness, safety, and protection for His flock.
The first definition is that an overseer directs or supervises. God has provided us with a handbook and other resources with which we can navigate this life. In the same way that a supervisor will provide a new hire with the Company’s “Policy and Procedures” handbook, God has given us the Bible to provide a framework for living a spiritually healthy life. This resource is filled with truth, direction, and examples that will equip and empower us to face the enemy daily.
Our second definition of an overseer is to survey or watch from a higher position. Throughout scripture, we can see that we serve an omniscient (all-seeing and all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful) and omnipresent (all-present) God (see Psalm 147:5, 1 John 3:20, Acts 15:18, and Proverbs 15:3). From this all-knowing and ever-present perspective, our Overseer can detect, warn us, and react to danger that is miles away. The enemy is limited in their ability to be present; he and his servants can only be in one place at one time. What do we have to fear when the Higher Power, our Overseer, has this unmatched perspective as an advantage?
Finally, the third definition is to look over and inspect. The Lord has given us the Holy Spirit, to help us identify areas of spiritual weakness in our lives. This may be a drug or pornography addiction; a tendency to gossip; spiritual or physical laziness; fill in the blank with your sin. Through this self-awareness guided by the Holy Spirit, the Lord helps us inspect our hearts and uproot all sin that separates us from His perfect love.
Make it Real
Many in our ACF family are currently serving in the military, have a friend or family member serving, or is in some way impacted by the military presence in our community. Though I’m not personally familiar with all of the rankings for each branch, I do know that there is a hierarchy within our military and at the top of that hierarchy are generals who provide guidance for a whole base and above them are leaders who oversee the whole military. These “Overseers” provide direction for their people, inspect their units to ensure preparedness and suitability to serve, and because they sit in a “higher position” of authority, they have political and economic insight to which most are not privy. These leaders can use this knowledge to plan and strategize how to best protect our nation.
In the same way that our physical bodies have overseers or protectors through the leadership of our military generals, so do our spiritual selves have an Overseer and protector in Christ. And you know what? The protector of our souls has infinite more power than the highest ranking general in the military! There is no human, angel or demon who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Only God. And He chooses to protect US. He chose to sacrifice His son, Jesus Christ, to protect us from an eternity in hell. Jesus died on the cross to redeem us so that we would no longer wander like lost sheep, but that we could be found and reconciled to Him. All we need to do is put our faith in God and trust that He will protect us.
Kristen Krimmel
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your eternal and unconditional love. We thank you that you are not only a nurturing Shepherd, but that you are also a fierce protector and Overseer of our souls. We entrust our lives to you because there is no one else that matches your greatness, oh Lord. What do we have to fear when you are on our side? We pray this in your perfect and holy name – Amen!