Presenting ...
... a weekly letter of encouragement.
Singapore
March 20, 1996
Good Morning!
ARE WE HARSH OR COMPASSIONATE IN OUR MINISTRY
TO OTHERS?
Cowboys drive cattle.
Shepherds lead sheep.
There is a difference, but occasionally in our efforts
to minister we confuse the two.
One way to assess whether we resemble cattlemen or shepherds is to observe our reactions when people fail to perform up to our expectations:
- Are we irritated by their failure, or driven to our knees in intercession?
- Is our approach characterized by law or grace?
"...The Law was given through Moses; grace
and truth were realized through Jesus Christ."
(John 1:17)
Jesus, like Moses gave us the truth...but shrouded it in grace:
"We all have received grace upon grace"
(John 1:16)
That is, we have received grace that is continuous and
never exhausted.
Surely that is also to be our approach in ministering to
others.
When our primary objective in ministry is to help people toward an intimate relationship with Christ, the tenor of our service will be that of tender care rather than demands for rigid compliance.
If however, we view people primarily as an important cog in achieving
our ends of building a larger organization, or enhancing
our image as a spiritual leader, those under our charge will be
driven toward external conformity rather than nurtured
toward internal transformation:
Driven like cattle rather than led like sheep.
When Jesus asked Peter if He loved Him, the Master suggested that
the way to express that love was to feed His sheep. Shepherd
His flock.
And that is our calling as well.
I trust you are having a great week!
Dwight Hill
© Copyright 1996 Dwight Hill. Unlimited permission to copy or use is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.
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