So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68-60
My friend Rick says “you can’t love a crowd”, you have to love people one at a time. Jesus said some hard sayings to the crowd, Pharisees and even those following Him. Things like “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in yourselves.” What?! He was thinning the ranks and separating the wheat from the chaff, the believers from the unbelievers. He would entrust Himself to those the Father had given Him… love them to the uttermost and build a personal relationship with them. Its the same for us today.
What about me? Am I one who responds like Peter and believes that Jesus is the Holy One of God? Yes. In my pastoral role, do I love a crowd or individual people?
God, let me walk in Jesus way. Oh, He is the example of the good shepherd. Help me be a better pastor… loving each person one at a time.
