Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Dr. Mary Riya Mathew
Horeb MTC, Los Angeles, California
2 Be shepherds of God’s flock
that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because
you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager
to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to
the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of
glory that will never fade away.
This
passage brings our attention to the focus of Christian ministry – Service. The
church is entrusted with a task (“be shepherds”) as Jesus was to us. We see
Jesus giving this same task to Peter in John 21:16. While we mature in our
faith, it should motivate us to help others in our church and community do the
same. However, there are certain nuances to the act of serving that we should
take to heart.
Serving as an overseer. In verse 2, we see that serving God’s flock has an
element of accountability. It is a position of responsibility and not of
authority. Like a shepherd would watch over the sheep and can be held
accountable for the loss or harm of even a single one under his care, we are
held to this different and higher standard.
Serving willingly and eagerly. This is the ideal mentality of
the shepherd. We should be willing to voluntarily commit to this task not for
money or power but for the “crown of Glory”. When we think of all that Jesus as
a shepherd did for us, how can we not be eager and willing to do so like Isaiah
(Is. 6:8) and Samuel (1 Sam 3:4-10) when they heard the call!
Serving as an
example. We have a great role model in Jesus who served with love and humility.
So being Christ like entails being able to illustrate this model of service.
According to C. S. Lewis “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's
thinking of yourself less”. The great shepherd went to point of being selfless
that He sacrificed Himself for His flock. That might look like an extreme
measure but the spirit will strengthen us for this.
PRAYER
Father God, we thank You and love
You for being our shepherd and redeeming us through Your selfless sacrifice.
Help us always to look to You and model Your service willingly and eagerly;
being mindful of Your authority and our responsibility to others. Bless us to
be a serving community. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
For Christians, Service is our business, modeling
Christ our goal and Salvation is our Guarantee!