In a quiet place where your spirit surrounds me. Fill me with your love oh Lord. May you drench me in your passion for others to know you as their personal Lord and Savior. In a dry and weary land, I want to thirst for you Lord (Psalm 63:1). May I never grow numb to your neverfailing love and mercy. May I shout from the rooftops how glorious and marvelous you are. Lord I need you, my heart breaks for you but it still isn't enough, I want my heart to explode into a thousand pieces just so your hands can shape and mold it into something only made by you.
My life is like a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. Make my life be worthy of your praise. Remove anything complacent and fill it with sacrifice, selflessness and joy. To live from the inside out is my heart's desire. Without you I am nothing. Without you Jesus I have no reason to live. As Paul even says, to live is Christ. If it were not for your death on the cross, I would not have the choice to go to Heaven. Only through your blood shed on the cross can I now accept the free gift of salvation. I cling to it as if it were my last breath, but Lord create a forever hunger in my heart and soul to "feed" others your word.
As John 21:15-19 says, "When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him,
“Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him,
“Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him,
“Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John,
do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him,
“Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you,
when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Reading this passage breaks my heart and reminds me that just like Peter, I tell the Lord, "Yes, Father I Love You." but in reality I'm not showing it through my lifestyle, through my walk. I must walk in the light as He is in the light. You see as Children of God and as Christ followers, we are called to reach the lost. To me, the lambs are those who are lost (without Christ) and also those who are "baby" Christians. It is up to the Christ followers to train them and love them as Christ did for His disciples. We are to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ. So many times we leave those who accept Christ to fend for themselves when in reality, their new life has just begun and they need help understanding this new road map of life so that is where the "Tend my Sheep" come in. We are to encourage, disciple, hold accountable our fellow believers. As for the last part, Jesus tells Peter to "Feed my Sheep", this here is a cycle. Feeding Jesus' Sheep is another way of saying, tell people about Me (Jesus) so they can be in Heaven one day with their Father.
You see friends, it's not about us, it's all about Him. We have to be bold in our faith and take a chance at being rejected, because if we are afraid of getting rejected or afraid of offending someone, we'll offend them right into Hell.
Be bold, Be Strong!
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil."
Ephesians 6:10-11
