March 3, 2004

[Kidan]

Quote[/b] ]Feed My sheep
—John 21:17

Quote[/b] ]This is love in the making. The love of God is not created—it is His nature. When we receive the life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God so that His love is demonstrated in us. The goal of the indwelling Holy Spirit is not just to unite us with God, but to do it in such a way that we will be one with the Father in exactly the same way Jesus was. And what kind of oneness did Jesus Christ have with the Father? He had such a oneness with the Father that He was obedient when His Father sent Him down here to be poured out for us. And He says to us, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" ( John 20:21 ).

Peter now realizes that he does love Him, due to the revelation that came with the Lord’s piercing question. The Lord’s next point is—"Pour yourself out. Don’t testify about how much you love Me and don’t talk about the wonderful revelation you have had, just ’Feed My sheep.’ " Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep: some that are unkempt and dirty, some that are awkward or pushy, and some that have gone astray! But it is impossible to exhaust God’s love, and it is impossible to exhaust my love if it flows from the Spirit of God within me. The love of God pays no attention to my prejudices caused by my natural individuality. If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by natural emotions—I have to feed His sheep. We will not be delivered or released from His commission to us. Beware of counterfeiting the love of God by following your own natural human emotions, sympathies, or understandings. That will only serve to revile and abuse the true love of God.

 

[Kidan]

Full Verse:

Quote[/b] ]He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep. "

--John 21:17

Being called to teach the Word of God to the next generation of leaders, this verse has always been special to me.  It's one of the first I remember reading when I dedicated my life to Him.


Tend my lambs. Sheperd my Sheep.  Tend my sheep.

These are the instructions from Christ, after Christ asked 'Do you love me.'  It's Christ saying that, if you love me, show it.  If you love me, love others.

People often talk about the 'Great Commission' being for us to spread the gospel.  Yet I think these simple verses are a greater commission.  Here Christ is saying that if we love Him, we will love all others.  Likewise, if we show unconditional love to all people, those same people will wonder why we're different.  Of course the answer will be Christ.

So today, as you go about your busy day, think on how you are acting towards people.  Think on how what you say and do cause people to think about you.  Think on whether or not, you show love.  Think whether or not if you DO love that person.

For that is our Great Commission.  To love the world.  Not in some abstract, random sense, but a spiritual, observable love.  A concrete, real love with the actions to back it up.