If You Love Me, Feed My Sheep

​August 14, 2013

 

 

Jesus didn't die for us to be rich and have an abundance of the things of this world.  Our prosperity and treasure are the non-perishable things of heaven.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19)

 

Are we content with what we have? 

"But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content." (1 Timothy 6:8)

 

Do we long for things that we can't afford? 

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” (Hebrews 13:5)

 

Do we long for things we don't really need? 

"If, then, you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1)

 

Would the money spent on those things be better spent feeding the hungry, on blankets and coats for the needy, or on diapers and toiletries for the elderly who live in poverty and neglect? 

God thinks so.

"Religion that God, our Father, accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27)

 

God desires happiness for His children.

"How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You." (Psalm 31:9)
 

He desires for the needs of all His children to be met with abundance. 

"As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy."

(1 Timothy 6:17)

 

And the Creator of all things seen and unseen is more than capable of fulfilling all desires that are in subjection to His will and purpose.

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:19)

 

Subjection to His will and purpose.  What does that mean?  It means God's desire to bless us is according to His ways--the ways of heaven-- which are diametrically opposed to he ways of the world.

"For the natural man is not able to take in the things of the Spirit of God: for they seem foolish to him, and he is not able to have knowledge of them, because such knowledge comes only through the Spirit." (1 Corinthians 2:14)
 

Our instructions are to love God most.

"'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'

Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matthew 22:36)

 

 

And to seek Him first-- before our own desires or wants or anyone else's.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the unbelievers seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 

But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  (Matthew 6:33)

 

God desires for His children to be a blessing to others, not to spend a lifetime endeavoring to bless themselves.

"I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing." (Ezekiel 34:26)

 

We are called to be set apart, consecrated and made holy for His purposes and desires. 

"He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began." (2 Timothy 1:9)
 

We are to be salt in this spiritually flavorless world

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." (Matthew 5:13)

 

We are to be light in this present darkness.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14)

 

When was the last time anyone brought their light into nursing home?  Who has family members in nursing homes?  Why? 

Many reasons include inexperience with elderly medical conditions.  But most of those medical conditions simply require administering oral medication at the proper time. 

Others reasons are the distance lived from elderly family members.  But distance is only a problem when they are living in a nursing home. 

Another reason is not having the extra room to take in an elderly member of their own family.  However, most people do, but that would mean having to sacrifice personal space in their home, and that would be a major inconvenience.

The simple fact is, most family members who live in nursing homes are there because no one wants to bear the burden of caring for them during the final years of their life here.  We are far too busy with our own lives for that kind of commitment. 

 

I'm not passing judgment on anyone, I understand that everyone's excuse is tailor made to their particular circumstance, and it is not my desire, intent or place to determine the legitimacy of those excuses.  I am guilty of my own sins and excuses and no one answers to me.  I am simply sharing God's Word as to what we are called to do:

"But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:8)

 

"Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God." (1 Timothy 5:3)

 

"If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows." (1 Timothy 5:16)

 

Who knows where their local food pantry is?  Who knows where it is, but has never donated any food to it?  Who has donated food to it.......one time.....a long time ago? 

I would think it to be a reprehensible comparison of the time spent on Facebook or Pinterest or shopping for shoes or clothes or getting a pedicure or going out for drinks or meeting for lunch or dinner or watching television to the time it would take to print out a handful of pages that say "Food Drive", tape them on some plastic tubs and drop them off at a few churches and/or their child's school, then pick them up a week later and drop them off at the food pantry. 

 

Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep.  Although Jesus' intent to Peter, individually, was to minister the Gospel message to the ends of the earth and to preserve the integrity of His message, His intent to all whom He foreknew that would one day read His Words to Peter as holy scripture, was to convey His desire for us to take care of each other, spiritually and physically.  Spiritually-- with our spiritual gifts as appointed by God.  Physically-- by our generosity of God's provisions as He meets our own needs.

"My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves." (Ezekiel 34:8)

 

As Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are holy children of God who are required to keep His statutes and commandments. To claim one's self as a Christian, that person must necessarily follow Christ.  A Christian's life is centered around Christ, not the daily obligations of this world.  Christ must be first and foremost, not once or twice a week or whenever we get the time to fit Him in.  Christ must be followed all the way, not just the parts that are convenient to our way of life or comfortable to our personal opinion. 

 

Many people claim Him, yet only a fraction of those individuals invest the work and effort and sacrifice it takes to actually follow Him.   Which brings us to the second part of this Word to share, which will be addressed in a separate post that will be entitled, "Are You A Christian?" 

 

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:22)