Feed My Sheep
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything: you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’ (John 21:15-17 NRSVUE)
Rocky Mountain Sheep in Glacier National Park
This is the first real conversation Jesus had with Peter after the resurrection. Peter had to be anxious because they had not discussed Peter’s denial of Jesus three times before the crucifixion. I find it interesting that Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter’s answer each time was the same, “Yes, I love you.” Each time Jesus told Peter to “feed my sheep.” Three times Peter had denied knowing Jesus, and now Jesus gave him three opportunities to say, “I love you.” This opportunity was given so that Peter could retract each of his denials of Christ. By telling Peter three times to “Feed my sheep,” Jesus was assuring Peter that there was important work for him to do, and Jesus trusted him to do it. What a fantastic example of forgiveness and reconciliation this is.
We receive this same forgiveness and reconciliation for every sin we commit, but it may not always be this dramatic. Jesus is the best forgiver and reconciler ever. So, the Father chose this role for Jesus, and Jesus fulfills it every day, first by His sacrifice at Calvary, and then by assuring us daily that He still needs us to continue the work chosen for us. What a confidence builder it is to know that our Lord and Savior believes in us. He expects us to continue our work for His kingdom no matter what it may be and what we may have done. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful that anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (John 10:28-30 NLT) This verse assures our safety, guaranteed by the Father. Those who truly commit their hearts to Christ will remain His forever. In Philippians 1:6, Paul gives us further encouragement: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (NLT)
Praise God for His faithfulness in forgiving and reconciling!
P.S. We often think of the small wooly animals led around by shepherds when we think of sheep. Perhaps Jesus meant for Peter, the bold one, to feed sheep with a more robust appearance and a more compelling nature.
Return next rime to see how those three words, “Feed my sheep,” have affected my life.
Rest (Conclusion)
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure. Psalm 16:8,9 (NIV)
Spring in southern Virginia
The first two verses of Isaiah 57 show us the final and best place that we can find rest: “Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die” (NLT). So when I die, I will rest in peace in Heaven forever. I don’t take the word “rest” literally in this case. I don’t believe that I will be sitting on a cloud playing a harp. I believe that God will have things for me to do, and I know that I will spend time with Jesus and in the throne room praising and worshipping God Almighty. I can rest in whatever God asks me to do because there will be no anxiety, no tension, and no opposition. All who know that I am doing God’s work will be pleased, and I will be pleased with the work they are doing for God. There will be no jealousy and no comparison of the usefulness of our tasks. We will all be joyful in fulfilling the wishes of our Lord.
God gives us rest, safety, and most of all, salvation as the Psalmist tells us in Psalm 62:1,2: “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (NIV). Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we know that no matter what happens here on earth, we will have peace and rest in Him for eternity.
I hope that this short series on rest helps you to know where our ultimate rest comes from”: “Come to me,,,and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV).
Rest (2)
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure. Psalm 16:8,9 (NIV)
(Me resting at a picnic table outside Challis, Idaho)
I mentioned in the last post that King David wanted the wings of a dove so he could fly away from his troubles and rest. Well, I’m not a king, and I don’t have the problems of a king, but the past four weeks have been intense and filled with necessary activities, both physical and mental, that have tired me greatly. So, like King David I ask for rest, but I know that I can go to my Lord Jesus and get the rest I need.
Jesus called His disciples to rest in Mark 6:31: “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to the disciples, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’” (NIV). They had just returned from going out two-by-two throughout the surrounding countryside. They had worked hard speaking the word and healing the sick, and Jesus knew that they needed time to rest before they took on new tasks, so He called them to rest. They went away to a solitary place, but the people discovered where they were and cut short their rest. Jesus saw the crowd and knew that their need was greater, so He began ministry to them. This is when He fed 5000 men plus women and children ,with five loaves and two fish. So the disciples didn’t get a long time to rest, but they got to see a fantastic miracle. I’m sure that revives the soul, body, and spirit better than rest.
In Exodus the Lord speaks to His people to decare the sabbath. “Six days do your work , but on the seventh day do no work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed” (Exodus 23:12 NIV). Here the Lord makes sure that His people know that the rest is not just for them but is also for those living among them and for the animals that work for them. We certainly don’t do that today. We expect police protection, medical services, and we also expect our favorite restaurant to be open. I hope that provision is made for all people to have a day of rest even when it is not the same day when we rest.
Moses had been leading the Lord’s people and was getting weary of making all the decisions, and he asked God in Exodus 33:12, to send someone to help. God answered Moses in Exodus 33:14: “The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’” (NIV). Moses was not completely satisfied, so He continued to ask for help and assurances from God. He also said in verse 18, “Now show me your glory.” The Lord answered in verse 21, “…I will cause all of my goodnesst to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence….” (NIV). If had my choice of having rest or directly seeing the personal glory of the Lord, I think I would have to at least delay the rest. What a gift Moses was given to see the glory of the Lord.
Come back next time for the conclusion of “Rest.” Meanwhile, remember the source of rest. “Come to me…and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11;28 NIV).
Rest
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure. Psalm 16:8,9 (NIV)
Rest is something we all need, and the Word tells us a lot about our need for it. Matthew 11:29-30 tells us the place of rest: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (NIV). In the words of Jesus, He is the source of rest; “Come to me…and I will give you rest.” One of the things I learn when I go to my Lord is that although He is the creator of the universe, He is humble, and He is gentle with those He calls His own—that’s you and me. He is the one who gives our souls rest because, in Him, we know that He is preparing a home for us in eternity with Him.
Hebrews 4:9-11 gives us a specific time for rest. “There remains then, a sabbath of rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience (NIV). Evidently, it is disobedient not to rest, and He tells us to rest one day a week, that is, the Sabbath. God rested after six days of creation, not that He was tired, but because He wanted to set an example for us. It is important that we set aside a day every week to rest. Where do we find that rest? As Jesus said in Mathhew 11:28, “Come to me …and I will give you rest.” And when we set aside that day of rest, it is good for us to do it together with other followers of Jesus.
The Psalmist speaks of the need for rest in Psalm 55:6: “I said, ‘Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest’” (NIV). David has become tired because of the great resistance He has for His reign as king. His enemies, and some of them were in his own family, were speaking terrible things about the king, and many of the people were listening to these words of dissent. We do not have the responsibilities of a king, but life today brings difficult times upon all of us, and we all need rest—a respite from our troubles. That respite comes from one place, Christ, our Lord.
Come back next time for part two of “Rest.” Meantime, remember the source of rest, “Come to me…and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV).
I Am Grateful
"Peace I leave you, My peacde I give you; not as the world gives, do i give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor fearful" John 14:27 (NASB).
My sister, Patricia Croyle, passed away recently, and I am grateful to many people for the comfort and help they provided. First, I am grateful to God for allowing me to have had Pat as my big sister for my entire life, and I am grateful for the Christ-centered life that she lived.
I am immensely grateful to my wife, Norma, for the support she has been to me and Pat during Pat’s later years. She held my hand when I was discouraged; she sang with Pat when singing was the only way Pat could communicate, and she helped me plan for Pat’s going-home celebration. I am also deeply grateful to my sons, their wives, and their children and their spouses and near-spouses. They gave me much emotional support, and they helped in arranging for Pat’s funeral. My nieces, Tracey and Wendy and their families blessed us with flowers. I would like to thank the person who sent the other flowers, but there was no name attached. This was a time that really taught me the value of family.
I am grateful to the care-givers my sister has had over the years, especially those from Sherwood Village. They treated her with kindness and gave her dignity, and in her last few days, they provided comfort for Norma and me.
Bring’s Broadway Chapel helped us with all the decisions we had to make in Tucson. And they made plans for Pat’s remains to be sent to Pennsylvania. They also coordinated with Deaner Funeral Home in Stoystown, PA.
Don Deaner and his associates at Deaner Funeral Home treated us with dignity and compassion as we made arrangements for the service at Kantner United Methodist Church and for the burial of her casket. Don even found and gave me a newspaper article with a picture of Pat and his father at the dedication of the historic train station in Kantner. They made us feel welcomed and comforted.
The people of Kantner United Methodist Church, Pat’s home church, welcomed us with open arms and expressed love for us from the moment I called Pastor Kimmel to discuss my sister’s funeral service. Even though he knew neither Pat nor me, he was gracious and helpful, willing and eager to work with whatever arrangements we desired, and I thank him for his service to my family and Pat. Many friends greeted us at the church, and a number of them stayed for the meal provided by the church, giving us the opportunity to remember past experiences they shared with my sister and me.
I am grateful! All of these people and those I forgot to mention have given me reason to have hope that the love of Jesus Christ is alive and well on planet earth.
