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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Tuesday, March 16, 2004 Take Care of My Sheep |
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Frontline Devotion for Tuesday, March 16, 2004, by Brenda Kessler
Scripture: John 21: 15-19
In these scripture verses Jesus is talking to Peter and – one might say – testing him by asking him three times, “Do you love me?” Each time after Peter answers, Jesus gives him an instruction. “Feed my sheep… take care of my sheep.” After the last “Do you love me,” Jesus again says, “Feed my sheep” but adds, “Follow me!”
Jesus asks this same question of us today. “Do you love me?” If our response is like Peter’s, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” then I suspect that Jesus says the same to us. “Feed my sheep…take care of my sheep…follow me!”
For today’s devotion I am concentrating on the care aspect of Jesus command. As a Stephen Leader I am always on the lookout for resource materials for our Stephen Ministers. Recently I purchased a book from the Adventures in Caring Foundation entitled, “What Can I Say?” In it are four suggestions for giving the gift of compassion. Or - to use the word in today’s scripture - “caring.” The four definitions are:
Attention. Be aware of the signs, signals, and clues that indicate what is important to someone.
Acknowledgement. Let people know you recognize and appreciate them for their uniqueness as individuals.
Affection. Smile, and share the human touch of warmth, comfort, humor and kindness.
Acceptance. Allow people and conditions to be the way they are, without giving up.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “The greatest pain on earth is not the pain of hunger or poverty, but rather the pain of isolation, abandonment and feeling unloved.”
As disciples of Jesus let us dedicate ourselves during this Lenten season to following Jesus’ command to “Feed my sheep…care for my sheep…follow me!”
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for calling us to be your disciples. Help us to truly be caring disciples as you commanded us to be. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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