A Cup of Tea

A Cup of Tea for You & Me

June 12, 2000

I Peter 5:2-4

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers - not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Over the last several weeks as we sat down together for a pause in our day’s occupations, we have considered life from the vantage that all people in general, and you and I in particular, are sheep. Having established that as truth, we looked at Jesus as our Good and Great Shepherd. We saw that: 1) by means of receiving His death on our behalf, we are given Eternal life; 2) with Eternal life, we become part of His flock, His family forever; 3) because we belong to Him, He provides for all our needs, protects us from ever being separated from Him, and guides us all the way Home to Heaven. So what does all this mean to us, practically speaking?

It means we live differently from all the sheep in the world who are not in the Shepherd’s flock. They spend all their lives, time and energy, trying on their own to obtain those three things. They try to find Eternal life, an escape from death. They search for a place of belonging, of unconditional love and acceptance, of family in all the wrong places. They strive to meet their own needs, protect themselves, and find their way through this crazy world. We don’t have to do any of that, because Jesus has already given those things to us. If we are following – that means obeying – Him, we will be experiencing them as present reality. If we are not, it means we are not being obedient. (But that is another Cup of Tea!)

So how are we supposed to spend our time and energy? Loving like Jesus loves. It really is that simple. I will let you look up the verses, but He tells us to: love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; love truth; love one another in the flock; love our enemies; love our neighbors; and love ourselves. We are told not to love the world or the things in this world. Love, according to the Lord, is not a warm, fuzzy feeling, but is rather an intentional course of action. Stuart Briscoe gives a wonderful definition: "Love is the decision to be primarily concerned with the well-being of another, regardless of their condition or reaction." We are to see that the real intent of every situation, every relationship is an opportunity to love like Jesus loved.

The verses from I Peter at the top of the page give us some very practical ways to demonstrate our love. In all our earthly roles, we are to be shepherds like Jesus. Just as He told Peter in John 21, we are to tend lambs and feed sheep. We are to watch out for those younger in age or in faith who God places in our lives. We are to warn them of potential danger. We are to share and demonstrate what we know of God’s truth (feed them), to be walking proof that it works. Since Jesus has already given us all the essentials for our own lives, we can have an unshakable confidence during trying circumstances. Shepherding is never to be a burden. In fact, it’s exciting, like passing on a hot tip! Because we are all sheep, there is no possible reason for any of us to think we are better than any one else. All things done or undone in disobedience are fool-hearty. We all need to be shepherded, to receive encouragement and warnings as well as to give them. We are all one flock, following One Shepherd, on the one way Home forever together.

What about those sheep who are so hard to love? You know, the mean, ugly, hateful ones who always bite. When this issue comes up, we need to be honest about why we love any one else. Is it for what we get: applause, approval, affirmation, or affluence? God forbid! Why did Jesus love us when we still despised Him? Because He knew how much we needed His love. When we cannot love another sheep – and we all face this – it only means we need to go back to the Shepherd, being transparent before Him, and let Him love us full to overflowing. Then we can trust Him that His love will somehow spill over onto the unlovable. He does it all, and He does it well. We are just the vessel for both the sweet lambs and the ornery ole' sheep.

I love Psalm 103:13, 14: "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers we are dust." While our goal is to become like Jesus, He knows we are far from it in this life. He knows there has to be something in it for us to motivate us to love like this. And so He ends these verses with a reminder. Jesus is coming back! The Day is coming when we will no longer walk by faith, but by sight. When He returns, it will not be as the Lamb, but as the Lion of Judah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords to reign forever. And on the glorious Day, He has prizes for all His sheep. Those who faithfully lead by following well will receive a crown of glory, a brilliant one that will sparkles and gleams forever. We shall behold Him and we shall be like Him. With that as our focus, we can do this hard stuff for a little while! Amen? Amen!!!

Love and Prayers,

Sue

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12

Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. Revelation 22:12

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