…shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory
“What’s the catch?” That is the question when something seems too good to be true. We start looking for the fine print when we see a prize like the one Peter described here to the elders. You get the crown of glory at the blessed return of Jesus. All you need to do is be faithful and obedient to the one who died for your sins and rose from the dead, making it possible for you to share in that life. Now we can see why this service would be willing and eager, not compulsory. Knowing why we are doing this, there would be no way of lording it over others. We know who lords it over all, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Here is a simple test for those of us who follow Jesus Christ. Are we doing our works of service to get the shameful gain of praise from our brothers and sisters or are we doing them because we love Jesus and love whom he loves, our brothers and sisters? If the former, we tend to look down and domineer those Jesus entrusted to us. If the latter though, we will receive the unfading crown of glory. Now for the catch. Once we receive it, we will eagerly and willingly throw it at the feet of our King. Does that seem like a waste? If so…
Look at the cross again.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church