1 Peter 5:1-4 (Phillips) Now may I who am myself an elder say a word to you my fellow-elders? I speak as one who actually saw Christ suffer, and as one who will share with you the glories that are to be unfolded to us. I urge you then to see that your “flock of God” is properly fed and cared for. Accept the responsibility of looking after them willingly and not because you feel you can’t get out of it, doing your work not for what you can make, but because you are really concerned for their well-being. You should aim not at being “little tin gods” but as examples of Christian living in the eyes of the flock committed to receive that crown of glory which cannot fade.
Observation
About 15 years ago, I was the ministry leader for a team at my church that encouraged and supported ministries led by members of the congregation. With some minor updates to make it more relevant to all, I wanted to share with you something I shared with my team. So, this is written to a group that already has accepted Jesus as Savior and committed to serve Him. If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Savior, I encourage you to read the New Testament and learn who Jesus was and is and always will be. Wherever you are and whatever your circumstance, Jesus has love, grace and forgiveness ready for you. Call on His name and He will answer you.
- God is committed to relationship-building. He wants everyone to have a relationship with Christ and with others in Christ. Therefore, He has a plan for creating an environment for life that will father, foster, and fertilize spiritual growth and friendships with others – Christian and non-Christian. God wants us to allow Jesus to shine through what we love to do and whatever else He asks us to do in Jesus’ name. Our Father’s goal is to have others experience Christ in us so that they will choose to become part of the family of Christ where they can have the same peace, love and security that we have.
- God wants every Believer to GO be His ambassador, evangelist, missionary in and to the world and culture in which they live. Some are called to go to places that are strange and unfamiliar to them, but, regardless, we all are called to carry the Gospel in our daily going and being. Therefore, God is for us as we create opportunity and support for this to happen. A question I ask myself is: Am I making GOING a priority in my everyday life? How am I encouraging and inspiring others to answer this call? How am I equipping those who have a heart to go but feel ill-equipped? How are they responding?
- We operate from a position of advantage. We serve the Almighty God, Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is never surprised by the latest moves of the enemy. He is never unprepared or taken aback by what happens. God made His plan before Creation and has no Plan B. Additionally, He feels no pressure or compunction to react or act according to any plan or timetable other than His own. He is never concerned about what people will think about an individual battle that seems to us to be lost. He will partner with us to accomplish His plan and fulfill His will and purpose (which to me is like working with a child learning to bake which takes 3 times as long and creates triple the mess). BUT God will not necessarily bless any short-sighted plan we come up with on our own. He has already won the war and will lead us into that victory if we will just follow in His footsteps. It is worthwhile to invest whatever time it takes to hear from Him and be wise enough to embrace His our part in His plan for us.
- We have been given superior weapons. The weapons He gives us are not the weapons the world sees as powerful but are the ones which exercise overwhelming spiritual power and authority. These are weapons against which the enemy has no defense – love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, self-sacrifice, humility, the fruit of the Spirit and other virtues. When I truly forgive, there is no foothold for bitterness. I love Micah 6:8: Do justly, walk humbly, love mercy. This is armor against the arrows of the enemy of our souls. The enemy gains no victory if and when we respond according to the Word of God rather than react according to our flesh. While we are not to be ignorant of the enemy’s devices, we should be careful to learn how to use the weapons God has given.
- God is not performance-based. We live in a culture that defines our worth by our achievements, our status, our possessions gained. Heavenly culture puts no worth on these. Will we be judged one day by Jesus for the works we performed in His name? Absolutely! James 2:18-24 tells us that our faith is dead without the good works it should produce. However, showing up at the Heavenly Gates with the many lists of the good things we did in our own strength without consulting Him will not impress Him. We will enter in simply because we are in Christ. To hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” will depend on how well we listened and obeyed in whatever He asked us to do by faith. If we can trust God enough to pray and wait to hear His plan, truly setting aside the urgency creating by our timetable and the need to appear pleasing or productive in the eyes of men, we will find that our joy will be full because we have endured to give Him joy in His heart.
Prayer
Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, You are so gracious, so patient, so kind to include me in fulfilling the plan You set in motion before Creation. What a mess I can make by anxiously going off in my own direction to fix the world around me. My intentions are good, but my actions are foolish unless they are what You have asked me to do. Slow me down, fill me with Your peace, let me see with Your eyes so I will have faith enough to wait for Your directions. I want to be that good and faithful servant. Make it so, in Jesus’ name.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 
I needed this today!
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