FEED MY SHEEP

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FEED MY SHEEP
By Carla Y. Nix

“He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved 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 21:17

I watched a commercial recently that made me smile. During a video phone call home, a grown military son was asked by his mother if he were eating correctly. She said that he looked a little thin. He smiled and lovingly said that he was eating and that her question was a “mother” question.

He’s darned tooting! A mother question indeed. My 23 year old son lives in Charlotte, NC. He has lived on his own for 2 years now. I still ask the mother question. In fact, his birthday was just the other day, and as I spoke to him on the phone to wish him a happy birthday, as always, I asked “what did you eat today?”

My 21 year old daughter is a college student who lives on campus in another city. We talk practically every day on the phone, and yep……every single time, I ask her the same……..”what did you eat today?”

My youngest child is 10 years old. Every single day I ask her what did she eat for breakfast and lunch at school.

As a mother, it is my nurturing nature that keeps me concerned about my children’s nutrition. It is something that began from their birth. It is vital for a baby to receive good, nutritious food in order for them to thrive and grow. Mothers know exactly what goes into their children’s bodies when they’re babies and as they grow. It’s our business, and our responsibility. Nobody in their right mind would purposely starve a child. So, even as my children have grown, I am still concerned about their nutrition.

When they were babies, I sterilized their bottles, mixed and measured their formula and fed them what they required and needed. I breastfed one of my children, and the difference was that there is no measuring of the milk. You really can’t tell how much the child is taking in. However, the key for knowing that they’re receiving the proper amount is by their development. They will gain weight and thrive well. Also, on a daily note, you know by their out-take. If nothing goes in, nothing will come out (count the diapers!).

Bottomline is that there will be evidence of the child’s nourishment one way or another whether they’re breastfed or bottle fed. There will be growth. The child will thrive.

The importance of proper nutrition doesn’t change just because we grow older. We should eat well, and eat correctly. When we don’t, then our bodies suffer for it.
Our spiritual diet and intake is just as important, if not moreso, than the physical. What we feast on in the spiritual realm is what develops our growth and development in the Lord.

God cares about our diet. I can imagine if we sat down and talked to God, on our spiritual phone, He would ask us what did we eat today. He is concerned about our spiritual nutrition. In fact, He provides for us.

Psalm 23:5 – “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

In reading “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23” by Phillip Keller, he breaks down the entire 23rd Psalm from the perspective and experience of a real life Shepherd. Regarding verse 5, Keller points out what “preparing a table” for a Shepherd means. As we know, David, who wrote this particular Psalm, was a Shepherd. David first recognizes the Lord as our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1). Keller says that much work goes into preparing a table for the sheep. It means, preparing an area of the pasture for the sheep that would allow them to eat properly. Months before the sheep enter the pasture, the Shepherd goes and remove the plants that are harmful for the sheep. Keller points out that this means that the poisonous plants are plucked up so that the sheep would not graze on them. The Shepherd does this for the survival of the sheep. He removes all things that are not good for them, so that they may be able to eat in order to grow and thrive.

The Shepherd also “keep an eye out for predators.” He watches for wolves, coyotes, cougars, and bears, for example. These predators often watch every movement of the sheep, hoping for a chance to make a sneak attack on them. While they’re grazing and eating, they are vulnerable to the attack of the enemy and are easy prey.
But, the attentive Shepherd watches out for them.

The Christian is likened to sheep, and the Lord is the Good Shepherd. Keller says, “The parallel in the Christian life is clear. Like sheep, we somehow feel that we have to try everything that comes our way. We have to taste this thing and that, sampling everything just to see what it’s like. And we may very well know that some things are deadly. They can do us no good. They can be most destructive. Still somehow we give them a whirl anyway.”

He emphasized that we should remember that our Master……..our loving Shepherd has been there ahead of us……taking care of our situations before we even arrive to them. He has already removed the poisonous plants that we may ingest. He has already defeated our enemy who wishes to harm us.

Remember, Jesus warned Peter that satan desired to tempt him and sift him like wheat.
“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” ~Luke 22:31-32

Jesus prepared the way, by having already prayed for him. Jesus also told Peter to strengthen others once he repents. See, Jesus knew what was ahead. Peter would deny Him three times. This would be a mistake that would undoubtedly turn Peter around.

The Lord cares about us and what we feast upon. After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared several times to His disciples before His ascension back to heaven. On the third encounter, Jesus first cared about their physical need for food. It was early in the morning, and they’d been fishing all night, yet did not catch anything to eat. When Jesus appeared to them, He told them to cast their nets to the right side of the boat. They obeyed, and yet another miracle occurred. They pulled in about 153 fish and they had a hard time pulling up the net because it was so heavy. Not only that, as they walked inland, the Lord had already prepared a coal fire with fish awaiting them to be cooked and eaten. They ate that morning, and they ate well. After they feasted on such a wonderful meal, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. Peter got a little aggravated with the questioning, but said, that yes, he loved him. Jesus thus said that if you love me, feed my sheep.

For those whom God has called with the gifts of teaching, preaching, and leading, it is imperative to remember that you have an awesome responsibility. You have been given the stewardship of feeding the Lord’s sheep. His precious sheep. Feeding them with the Word. Feeding them with the truth. Feeding them with good nutritional food that will cause them to grow and develop fully as God would have them to.

Junk food isn’t good for anyone. It may taste good, but it isn’t good for us. Don’t throw junk at God’s people. Don’t feed them trash and cause them malnutrition. Feed them the wholesome Word of God. Teach people how to live holy lives in an unholy world. Don’t fleece the people. Don’t shake them up nor mislead them. Build people up, don’t tear them down. Love God enough to love His people. In doing so, you would do just as He instructed Peter to do – Feed His Sheep!

Suggested reading:
“A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23” By Phillip Keller