August 19, 2022

Passage Read: John 21 - Acts 1
Meditation Verse: John 21:16

Thought

Jesus asks Simon Peter three times if he loved Him, and three times commissioned him to feed His sheep. Once for every time Peter denied Him. It is interesting that Jesus made feeding His sheep the responsibility of one who loved Him. If someone loves Jesus, he should care for those who belong to Jesus; he should shepherd them. And those that love Jesus, those that truly belong to Him will follow the voice of the one sent by Jesus. The one who loves Jesus should have a desire to shepherd Jesus' sheep, but the sheep that belong to Jesus should be willing to follow the shepherd who loves Jesus.

Application

If I love Jesus, I should want to shepherd His sheep, especially when I see so many sheep that seem lost in the hands of false teachers. But I need to remember that not all who enter a church are sheep that want to follow Jesus. Some are goats who like the flock, but not the shepherd. Some are wolves that love to devour sheep, having snuck in disguised as sheep. It's the job of the shepherd not only to feed the sheep but to guard them and to drive away wolves. If I am going to care for the sheep, then I need to be ready to go to battle for them.