John 21:15
Our teen children have been part of an outreach ministry two years in a row now and are looking forward to a third trip this June. One of the most common sources of excitement and delight for them is the outreach of handing out cold bottles of water on street corners on a hot, summer day. It’s a simple ministry. When a car stops at the intersection they hand the driver a bottle. That’s it.
But it is incredibly effective. Those who receive are given physical relief and they realize that they are loved. And often the free gift gives rise to a conversation about God.
After the resurrection John gives an account of Jesus meeting with the disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. What did Jesus ask? What did he instruct?
Certainly the whole encounter in John 21 has deeper meanings in our faith. Jesus asking Peter three times to declare his love is a reversal of the three denials. The miraculous catch of fish is a reminder of the ministry before them. But the instructions of Jesus are again very simple.
“Feed my lambs.” He doesn’t have to go into any deep explanation or complicated reasoning. Just go help people.
By the example of Jesus in Matthew 1 we know that we are to take time to rest up and renew our spirits before doing ministry. We see in his instructions to the twelve (Matthew 10) that we are to trust God to provide for us, giving us the equipment and skills needed to serve others. And here we see the need to respond to Christ.
Jesus was not present at the seaside to tell them it was all over. He wasn’t there to tell them to forget about it all and go back to their lives as they were before.
Instead he was telling them to go do ministry. And it is simple. Feed the lambs of God. Feed them with food to give them physical nourishment. Feed them with care to give them comfort. Feed them with love to give them hope. Feed them with the message of Christ to give them salvation.
DAILY CHALLENGE: Where will you feed the lambs of God?
No comments:
Post a Comment