Feed my lambs

1 Peter 5:1-7

¹ And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: ² Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. ³ Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. ⁴ And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.

⁵ In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

⁶ So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ⁷ Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Here is the apostle Peter pursuing the command he was given by Jesus. In John 21 there are the beautiful moments of Jesus restoring Peter, restoring him to ministry and life of following him. He tells Peter “feed my lambs” and “tend my sheep.”

And Peter says in these verses that your leaders should be like that – protecting, leading, feeding and loving Jesus’ sheep, his followers. The shepherd has authority but is also humble, living with and caring for the sheep, prepared to lay down his life for the sheep if required.

In fact, he says you are all to be humble, or in other words to have a servant’s heart. Our ultimate example and our shepherd is Jesus – who willingly emptied himself and became a person, but not just a person, a servant. And as we read in chapter 2, he “suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.” So, Peter reflects on the suffering of Jesus which he personally witnessed, reminding us of Jesus’ example of humility.

If I am to be humble it must rest on my certainty that God cares for me (v7). I can be humble and trust him because he is a God who cares, like the shepherd in Psalm 23. I don’t have to seek authority over others, or ensure that people notice my service, because I know God loves me as I serve. He is my reward, from whom I receive the crown of righteousness. Our certainty is in that eternal hope!

Today he reminds me that I serve a God who cares, who loves, who restores my soul, who provides, who is always by my side.

Dear Jesus, I know you care for me but sometimes I struggle to cast my worries onto you. So, I struggle on vainly myself, taking pride in my ability to cope, to rise above. Break my pride Lord and build a humble spirit, a right spirit in me. Amen

Written by Claire Moore