the call of a shepherd

'So I exhort the elders among you,

as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, 

as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you,

exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;

not for shameful gain, but eagerly;

not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.'

1 Peter 5:1-4

Often, shepherds were overlooked. under appreciated. uneducated. 

and by all worldly standards, contributed very little to society as a whole. 

And yet, this is what Peter is exhorting the Jewish and Gentile Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor to be? 

Of course Peter is being allegorical here, using the very words his personal Mentor, Friend and Savior used throughout His time of teaching here on earth. 

Peter is not telling us to go and start herding sheep.

He is telling us to disciple others. 

This is not a suggestion or a good idea. This is a command for anyone in the fold themselves. 

"But Tiffany!" you say... "I don't have the gift of teaching or writing or speaking or...." 

and I smile and say, "neither do I friend. Neither do I." 

I teach and I write and I speak as the Spirit moves. It is God at work through me to act and encourage and disciple and teach. I am merely walking in obedience not to my own credit but to the credit of the One who requires nothing but willingness. That is what I do have. 

This does not mean that we must sell everything we have and exchange our lives for one in a foreign land speaking a foreign language and living in a grass hut. While this may be the call for some, this is not the call for all. But we are all called to disciple, mentor and shepherd others for the sake of Christ. 

God has called us to a personal relationship, not a private one. 

This is no small call. There will be times we are overlooked, under appreciated or feel ill equipped and inadequate for the task as hand. As we walk faithfully with our Shepherd however, it will become less about us and all about Him. 

If you have not yet accepted His personal invitation for a personal relationship, I can't encourage you enough to meet Him at the Cross. He longs to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18) and free you from the bondage that holds you. 

If you do have a personal relationship with Christ, I encourage you to walk faithfully with Him and intentionally set out to encourage another today. I pray that we as fellow heirs with Christ, would have a desire to love well today. As I raise my children, I will set forth to intentionally teach and train them to take hold of that which God has for them. The stage of life I am in, my home is my primary mission field and this is a great blessing to me. 

Where ever you are today, whatever your 'pasture', I pray that you would be an eager example of Christ and His redemptive love. Please pray the same for me. 

loved. 

tiffany