Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

• 1 John 4:7

And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

• 1 John 4:21

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

• John 21:15-17

“If you would know the measure of your love for God, just observe your love for your fellowman. Our compassion for others is an accurate gauge of our devotion to God. Some time ago, with some friends, I went through a museum in San Francisco. Among other things, we saw a collection of instruments of torture which were employed by religious people to force other people to believe.”

• Billy Graham, Day by Day with Billy Graham (devotion for 7 November)

Jesus told Peter three times in a row that if he loved Jesus, he needed to tend to the sheep.

While countless pastors focus on the redemption of Peter after he denied Jesus, the message is for all of us.  Maybe we do not have as many sheep to feed as Peter did, but we could have more.  At times, we do not know how many people are receiving the message that we send – that message that we send by loving rather than ignoring our neighbor.

To be honest, a few of my neighbors are wonderful neighbors because they do not make a fuss, they are quiet, and they let you do what you do.  It seems the loud obnoxious neighbors are the ones that we notice more, and often not in a good way.

Have you fed any sheep lately?

It is a question we need to ask with regularity.  It does not have to be every day.  This is the fourth post that I have worked on today, but after we got back from the ER at 1:00am, we have kind of hibernated.  I wrote while my wife slept.  With the lack of sleep, I hope and pray that what I wrote made sense.  But we are out and about tomorrow.  We need to start praying today that there will be sheep to feed.

The museum in San Francisco documented man’s intentional path toward not showing God’s love.

Make feeding sheep and showing God’s love intentional.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.