THE UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION (PART 2)
You may want great things to be done through you, but it must start with getting your hands dirty for God.
John 21:15 KJV
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
Dear Believer,
I spoke about Simon Peter, the man whose love was put under examination by Jesus. When he said to Jesus the first time that he loved Him, Jesus responded, “Feed my lambs.”
Peter believed He loved the Lord, but Jesus was telling him that the way to show that love was to tend His lambs — the little ones.
Jesus responded in this order to the affirmations of Peter.
The first time, He said, “Feed my lambs.”
The second time, He said, “Feed my sheep.”
The third time He repeated, “Feed my sheep.”
The lambs must be fed first. They are the little and the weak ones more prone to being led astray or taken by the wolves.
Peter (and all the disciples of Jesus) weren’t ‘lamb friendly.’ Once in showing the love they believed they had for Jesus, they drove the children who flocked around Jesus away. They didn’t want their master to be disturbed by the ‘lambs.’
Mark 10:13 KJV
And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
You see, just like God cannot trust you with great things until you’ve been faithful in little things, you won’t be trusted with sheep until you’ve learned to tenderly care for the lambs. The disciples saw the little ones as a nuisance, but Jesus said they are actually the stuff the Kingdom of God is made of. (Mark 10:14).
You may want great things to be done through you, but it must start with getting your hands dirty for God. The lambs — those weak brethren, the bumbling, oft-falling and clumsy believers must be loved.
It is a great thing to teach ‘deep revelations’ to Believers who’ve matured and know what you are saying, but it’s another thing to be humble enough to patiently explain the basics of the gospel to young Believers and those who are still struggling.
Jesus told Peter, if you love me, then feed my lambs. Don’t neglect them because it’s a more difficult job or a less popular responsibility.
Dear friend, let us get to work and help the vulnerable. That is the way to show the love we claim to have for Jesus.
Have a beautiful day.
Your friend,
Deon.
Deon Akintomide is a Pastor, author and publisher. He teaches the Word of God and ministers healing to the body and the mind. He is the founding minister of the LifeHouse Global Missions and the Pastor of The LifeHouse Kingdom Centre in Lagos. Deon is married to Tola Akintomide.
