Fed and Led part 5
Once upon a time I heard a preacher go on a rant (not a Jesus Rant, haha) about how we need to make sure to NOT identify ourselves as sheep. Because sheep are dumb and they get themselves into trouble quite a bit. They need constant looking after. A shepherd. And the guy's point was that we need to be mature. We need to identify ourselves as kings and priests. I get that. But at the same time... we ARE sheep. And Jesus IS the good Shepherd. He IS constantly looking after us. He DOES feed us and lead us. So I think it's ok, if you understand the picture we're looking at. Don't be dumb. Don't baa it up with everybody else and get yourself into trouble by trying to be someone you're not. Don't be conformed to the world. But DO know who takes care of you. And TRUST Him to do so! I believe that we are completely self-suffiecent when we look for, and find, everything we need in Him. Which means, when we look for it inside, and when we look for it in each other. I think a revelation that is sorely, desperately needed is found in Philippians 2:4, "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." If I'm taking care of you, and you're taking care of me, then neither one of us has to worry about ourselves. If we're helping each other along, none of us need to worry about getting ahead. And I know that's not "the way of the world." But that's kind of my point. We are IN the world, but not OF the world. We don't have to do things the way the world does them. We can show people a more excellent way. By showing them Jesus. Which means, by showing them love. Because that's who Jesus is; God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. So saying Jesus feeds us and leads us is the same as saying LOVE feeds us and leads us. And guess what love does: It feeds on ITSELF (HIMself) and consumes everything else. Love feeds on love, and it grows and grows and grows until it's too big to keep inside. That's when it comes out naturally. Not when you try to force it out, but when you simply fill yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. That's when you experience it most--when you give it away. When you share it. When you feed and lead others just as you have been fed and led! When you understand the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross--giving His life FOR us, and giving His life TO us, laying His life down for His friends--that's when you can make the same sacrifice. That's when you can give everything you have and everything you are to anybody you come into contact with. Because you can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. Jesus gave it all TO us. Now we can give it all to each other! But not if we don't know what we've got. Not if we don't know who we are. We are the fountains of living water that the Lamb in the midst of the throne leads us to. (See? Jesus is a Lamb. We can certainly be sheep!) He leads us to ourselves. Our TRUE selves. Who we are in Christ. And He does it by showing us who He is in us. He reveals Himself to us, and in us, and through us, and as us. And then we reveal Him to each other. By loving each other. Taking care of each other. Feeding the hungry. Clothing the naked. Meeting basic human needs. And then also meeting Spiritual needs. Loving those who need it most (which, in truth, is all of us)!