Feed the
flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Neither as
being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Peter's exhortation to the elders or
pastors challenges them to feed the flock of God and to do so giving attention
to three things:
Their
mindset
Not of constraint but
willingly.
Early on in the ministry a man may be
simply amazed that he gets to be a pastor. As his ministry takes root and
develops he may be filled with wonder at God's blessing. If he isn't mindful, however,
certain other feelings may occupy his mind. Bitterness might crop in at those
he perceives as damaging his success in ministry. Envy can build up towards
those he views as having greater success in the ministry. Pride might swell his
heart if he sees himself as successful. The pastor must have a free and willing
mindset if he is to truly feed the flock God has given him.
Their
motivation
Not for filthy lucre but
of a ready mind.
The laborer is worthy his hire and the
ruler deserves double honor. Yet the man of God must guard himself to never
serve for the sake of money. The amount in the offering plate should never
determine the effort of the preacher. If he must work a secular job in order to
support himself he will of course be able to invest less of himself into his
ministry. That does not mean that what he does invest should be invested at
less than 100%.
Their
modality
Neither as being lords
over God's heritage,
but being ensamples to the flock.
Recently my oldest son shared with me
some observations from meeting a shepherd in his area. This shepherd uses dogs
to help him with his sheep but the dogs never actually herd the sheep. The task
of the dogs is to help keep the flock together. The shepherd herds them by
guiding them to this pasture or the other. The dogs simply keep them from
scattering or straying as they journey. The pastor is a leader but he is at his
best when he remembers that Christ is the leader; his task is just to keep the
sheep together as they follow Christ.
1 Peter 5:2-3 (KJV) Feeders of the Flock
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