Imagine—you labor in sweat and tears, preparing a meal with enough food to feed a multitude. You are preparing for a banquet-size feast. Yet only a handful of people attend. And many who attend play in their food, spit it out, or rake it to the side saying, “I don’t like that”. They play on their phone with a look on their face, that says “I don’t want to be here”. No concern for the love, the energy and the dedication that was put into this meal. They choose not to come, implying “they don’t care how much time you put into that meal.” Would any of these reactions leave you feeling loved, encouraged or appreciated?

Consider your pastor.

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:17)

Jesus said this to Peter as he charged him with this task. Peter was to “shepherd”, or “tend”, the sheep.

And part of his shepherding duty was “feeding the sheep”. Without question, feeding the children of God implies teaching them the Word of God. It is only the Word or God (i.e., Scripture) that can mature the believer (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is not done through self-help books that believers are matured in the faith. Therefore, the Word of God is presented in Scripture as the only source where we go to be matured or “fed”. Hopefully, we grasp the vital role that the Word of God plays in the life of the believer.

This shepherding duty wasn’t Peter’s alone. It applies to all “shepherds”, or pastors and teachers. There is much to “tending the sheep” but feeding them is a vital part of it. And as we come to church, we expect as “sheep” to be fed. And why wouldn’t we? The God-given duty to “feed the sheep” is the pastors. We come to church expecting to be fed. We come to church expecting our pastor to have labored in his study, agonized in prayer, and taken careful consideration for the sermon he delivers. The sermon is intended to feed me. Again, these expectations are warranted, because it is the pastor who has been given the God-given duty to “feed the sheep”.

• Quit taking the God-given means of growth (the Word) for granted.
• Quit taking your pastor’s labor, lightly
• As a parent not everything is going to be to your child’s “liking”
  • You wouldn’t give them a steady diet of soda and candy, because that’s what they want
• You place healthy food before them – because you know what’s best for them
• Grow up, be a parent and help raise a spiritually healthy generation