Thank you for joining us for today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Wyn Collier, and I wrote today's piece, The Powerful and the Week.

Perhaps the most heartwarming tradition in college football happens at the University of Iowa.

The Stead Family Children's Hospital sits next to Iowa's Kinnick Stadium, and the hospital's top floor has floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a great view of the field.

On game days, sick children and their families fill the floor to watch the action below,

and at the end of the first quarter, coaches, athletes, and thousands of fans turn to the hospital and wave.

For those few moments, the children's eyes light up.

It's powerful to see the athletes with a packed stadium and thousands more watching on TV

pause and show they care. The scriptures instruct those who have power, and all of us have some

kind of power, to care for those who are weak, watch over those who are struggling, and tend to those

whose bodies are broken.

Too often, though, we ignore those in need of attention.

The prophet Ezekiel rebuked Israel's leaders for their selfishness, for disregarding those

who most needed help.

Woe to you, God said through Ezekiel, you have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick

or bound up the injured how often do our personal priorities leadership philosophies or

economic policies demonstrate little regard for those in distress. God shows us a different way,

where those with power, watch out for those who are weak.

Today's our daily bread devotional scripture reading is from Ezekiel chapter 34,

verses 1 to 2, and 7 to 12 12 the word of the Lord came to me son of man prophesy against the shepherds of Israel prophesy and say to them this is what the sovereign Lord says woe to you shepherds of Israel, who only take care of yourselves.

Should not shepherds take care of the flock?

Now picking up at verse 7.

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