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."
John 21:17
HUDSONVILLE – I have 2 boys. My oldest is two and is learning how to communicate his needs. He will run and play so hard that he loses his breath, panting, “I need water.” That is a real need. At night before going to bed, he will also tell us, “I need a special treat”, as he reaches for the candy bowl. The truth is many people don’t know what they need. It is our job as pastors to lead and feed our people.
Our deepest needs are met in Jesus Christ. We are sinners in desperate need of a Savior. We need God’s intervention to transform us from the inside out. We need to be daily living in prayer and Scripture. He is the source of all our wisdom and direction.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
People are longing to be led by spiritual leaders. People are lost and searching for direction. As pastors, we are called to spiritually lead and feed the people we are called to steward. We are called to be spiritual leaders in our community. We need to be rooted and grounded in the Word. And then, we need to help our people grow in the Word so that they are able to identify their needs and develop a biblical worldview.
Where are you leading your people? Do you have clear expectations for the people that you are leading? Would your people know where you are leading them and what expectations you have of them if you asked them today? So many of us do not spend the time to actually lead our people, cast vision for them, and provide them with clear expectations. Spend some time praying about it today. Where are you leading your people, and what are you feeding your people?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Honeycutt lives in West Michigan. He is a husband to Krista and father to two little boys. He serves as the Byron Center Campus Pastor of Chapel Pointe in Hudsonville.