Now came an argument among them as to which of them would be greatest in the coming Kingdom! But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he stood a little child beside him and said to them, “Anyone who takes care of a little child like this is caring for me! And whoever cares for me is caring for God who sent me.
Your care for others is the measure of your greatness.
(Luke 9:46-48 TLB)
Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord Himself and not merely for others. For we know that we will receive a reward, an inheritance from the Lord,
as we serve the Lord YAHWEH, the Anointed One! (Col. 3:23-24 TPT)
There’s a lot in it for us as we say yes to operating in selfless love or the true care of souls. We are fulfilled or blessed as we give. And we are restored to the image of God, the very design of how we are to function, as we heed Paul’s obedience to Jesus in Acts 20:35, “I’ve left you an example of how you should serve and take care of those who are weak. For we must always cherish the words of our Lord Jesus, who taught, ‘Giving gives a far greater blessing than receiving.’” (TPT) And Jesus also said, “For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give—large or small—will be used to measure what is given back to you.” (Luke 6:38 TLB) Our hearts are healed. We are supplied well. Not to mention eternal rewards!
First, though, there is the positioning of ourselves before the Lord to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We can never forget that the Spirit of Christ must be our Source. Cut off from union with Christ we can do nothing John 15 assures us. However, The Passion Translation speaks of limitless levels of God available to fill us:
“But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit, Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.” (Gal. 5:22-23)
The Creator God cares deeply for us. That’s the great revelation of the Covenant Book fulfilled in John 3:16-17: For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction. (VOICE) As we receive His supply, we have something to give. We are set free as we turn from the sin of independence or self-will and self-rule. Christ becomes the feed for every need of our hearts.
Once we are filled to overflowing from feasting on Jesus’ and the Father’s heart for us, we in turn can care for others. Paul, once a murderous spirit, was able to do it through grace, and so can we. A few verses give us the picture of the changed apostle Paul. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 states of this leader and those under him, “Even though we could have imposed upon you our demands as apostles of Christ, instead we showed you kindness and were gentle among you. We cared for you in the same way a nursing mother cares for her own children. With a mother’s love and affectionate attachment to you, we were very happy to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our lives—because you had become so dear to us.” (TPT)
We look at Jesus as the One Paul drew His shepherding ability from as Christ was the very life of Paul. In Psalm 23 in the Passion, David recorded receiving his needs for close bonding and care from the Lord. King David described God by writing, “Yahweh is my best friend and shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1 TPT) The footnote reads, “The word most commonly used for ‘shepherd’ is taken from the root word ra’ah, which is also the Hebrew word for “best friend.” This translation includes both meanings. The unique term for shepherd is ro’eh tzon—‘lover of the flock.’ This teaches us that a shepherd was not just a responsible overseer, but a caring father figure, tending to his flock out of a deep sense of love. Shepherds were also fierce protectors of their flocks. Jesus is the Fierce Protector of His people.”[1]
There are other passages telling of Jesus’ concern and care for us. Zechariah 9:16-17 promises, “The Lord their God will save His people in that day, as a Shepherd caring for His sheep. They shall shine in His land as glittering jewels in a crown. How wonderful and beautiful all shall be! The abundance of grain and grapes will make the young men and girls flourish; they will be radiant with health and happiness.” (TLB) We can realize this the more we hunger and thirst for the Lord and the more we open our hearts to receive from our giving God. And as Jesus gave Paul to the first century church, He gives us “Pauls” for our day according to Jeremiah 3:15, “I will give you leaders who will serve Me faithfully. They will take care of you like shepherds. They will be wise and they will lead you well;” (EASY) and “I’ll appoint wise rulers who will obey me;” (CEV) and “And I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart [in the final time], who will feed you with knowledge and understanding and judgment.” (AMPC)
As our hearts are satisfied in God and in His Kingdom, we are to be conduits of His life, caring for souls the same way Jesus Christ did and does. He released the Word and the Anointing. We are to be great at this. However, this great and high call comes with a warning. Amos speaks out in 6:6, “You drink wine by the bucketful and perfume yourselves with sweet ointments, caring nothing at all that your brothers need your help.” (TLB)
And in Ezekiel 34:7-10, the warning is even more dire:
“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of YAHWEH: As surely as I live, declares Lord YAHWEH—My sheep have become the prey of every wild beast. Since there was no shepherd to protect My sheep, they have been devoured. My shepherds have not searched for My sheep; they have cared for themselves and not the flock. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of YAHWEH: Lord YAHWEH says, Behold, I am against you selfish shepherds! I will hold you accountable for My flock, and I will demand that you return My flock to Me. No longer will you feed only yourselves because I will rescue My sheep from your mouths. You will help yourselves to My sheep no longer.” (TPT)
These dire straits will be ours if we, as a people, lose our connection to Christ, our Good Shepherd, and fail to fully yield to the supernatural, heavenly flow of His life out through us, Vine to branch. [See again John 15.] We will backslide. We must not let self be our source. [The way out from under self-centered living is Galatians 2:20.] Jesus taught us reality in Matthew 16:24-25, “If ·people want [L anyone wants] to follow Me, they must ·give up the things they want [deny themselves; turn from selfishness; set aside their own interests]. They must ·be willing even to give up their lives to [L take up their cross and] follow me. Those who want to save their lives will ·give up true life [L lose their life/soul; C Greek psychē can mean “life” or “soul,” producing this play on words], and those who ·give up [lose; sacrifice] their lives for ·me [my sake] will ·have true life [find life].” (EXB)
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Blessings in return—
[1] (Psalm 23:1 note c, TPT)
love lessons 