Are You More Concerned About How God is Relating To Others Than How He Is Relating To You?
Good Morning Friends,
Today we have an encouragement for Christians to be attentive to the Lord’s individual calling on their lives. And in the process we also see how Jesus makes success out of our failures. The proof text is in today’s scripture. Here it becomes clear that God can love us too, for the Lord loves even Peter who denied him. However there is still the matter Peter’s and our focus. Are You More Concerned About How God is Relating To Others Than How He Is Relating To You?
Scripture: [The shepherd] calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
John 10:3 (NIV)
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. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!’ So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’ This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
John 21:15-25 (NRSV)
Message: Hearing your named called can be a joyful or horrible experience. It all depends on the situation. And let’s be honest about today’s story, Peter was not at all sure it was going to be joyful. Peter having denied Jesus three times just before the crucifixion was not in a place of restoration with the risen Christ yet. He was like a sheep without a shepherd, and that is not a pretty sight. Peter was having a hard time forgiving himself even though his sins had been forgiven. Thankfully the Shepherd knows more than just our names. The revelation of Peter should therefore be a revelation for us as well. Here we see that Jesus never disowns His flock. Peter hears the Shepherd’s voice three times calling him out of the sheep pen to a purpose that would glorify God. So too we should hear the Shepherd calling us out of our sin. In Peter, we can see ourselves. We can see ourselves boasting about what we would never do, only to end up doing what we said we would never do. In Peter we can see our restoration from the fall that follows after our pride. For just like Peter, the Lord seeks to restore us and bring us to the point of loving him more than anything else. And in Peter, we can see the error of our being overly concerned about what he has given others to do. There is a great temptation to compare our situation with that of others. Jesus assigned Peter and John to walk two different paths, but both Peter and John have enriched our lives. Jesus knew how dangerous it is when a servant takes his eyes off the master to focus on a fellow servant. Are you following the Good Shepherd? Where is your focus?
Pray we realize that Jesus, the Good Shepherd does not give up on His sheep. Pray we realize that people want a leader to mobilize and lead them. Pray we realize that the power of ministry and our lives flows only from our love for God. Pray that as we follow we have the right motive, the right assignment and the right focus. Pray we cultivate a heart like Jesus worthy of leading others. Pray we realize that God will grant us enough time to complete our assignments if we heed His call and have His heart. Pray we realize that our life speaks more powerfully than our words. Pray that we realize that the only thing worthy of following is the deep and committed motivation of our heart to love God. Pray we believe in and trust in a Jesus who did more and will do more than we can imagine. Pray we are focused on the Shepherd’s will and how we are to engage in what we have been called to do individually before we consider what others have been called to do.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 