Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
Be With Me is a daily 7 minute chronological walk through the New Testament hosted by Michael Smith. It is for everyone who is curious about what Jesus actually said and did in the gospels. Most episodes will leave you with at least one good thought to chew on for the rest of the day. We start with the Bible and hopefully end with Awe. We are walking through the chronological events of Jesus' life and then thoughtfully considering them. It is meant to spur the devotional life of the Christian and the not-yet-Christian. We occasionally venture into the Old Testament when it helps our understanding of the New Testament events. Everybody has 7 minutes. Everybody needs to wonder. Be With Me is hosted by Michael Smith who has absolutely no special qualifications to do a podcast. He is not a pastor. He has not been to seminary. He does not lead a mega-church. He is not a professional and he has no more credentials than you do. He does, however, follow a great God with an observant eye and a curious heart. Each day, he starts with a study bible and aims for astonishment. ‘be with him’ for 7 minutes as he sets out daily to discover the God who invites us to ‘Be With Me.’
Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
My Dog Asa LOVES to be TENDED S28e178 Jn 21:16
Join me and my dog Asa as he gives the lesson on LOVING BEING TENDED.
Having his eye-boogers tended to is something he cannot do for himself. It is the highlight of his day. Like him, we should LOVE BEING TENDED by those placed over us in the church.
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My Dog Asa LOVES to be TENDED S28e178 Jn 21:16
Story: Many of you have enjoyed podcasts with my dog ASA. He will today serve as a good example of being a good example of being TENDED. I have a dog that LOVES to be tended. His favorite moment of the day is being tended. We can learn a lot from him.
He gets EYE buggars. Tongue can’t reach. Hands are full of 5 claws.
He cannot effectively tend to his self care of getting rid of his eye buggars.
This is where I, as his shepherd come in. Most days, I sit him down, hold his face and start gouging out his eye buggars with my fingernail. Not easily.
You’d thinkg this would be fought , but when he realizes that this is eye-buggar time he holds his head still and lets me do for him what he cannot do for self. …Then he gobbles down the buggar from my fingertip. That’s favorite part.
HE LOVES TO BE TENDED—and so should you.—keep this image
We will think about sheep and an earthly shepherd today from both perspectives
Responsibilities, duties, especially BENEFITS
John 21:15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
FROM SHEPHERDS POINT OF VIEW Shepherds are supposed to love sheep
Alexander Strauch tells a story in his book Biblical Eldership.” In spain, I once sat in a field with a shepherd asking him many questions about caring for sheep. At the end of our long conversation , I asked him, What is the most important thing about being a shepherd? He responded, “You must love sheep”.
Does your leader know that you are even under his care?
Words about joining a congregation
Yes, join so he knows who is under him
Yes, join so he knows those specific souls he is required to give account Hebrews 13:17
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Think about this from the pastor/ elder perspective: what lands on plate?
Keep Alert: who am I acting as a sentry for?
Who’s soul do I act as guardian over?
Who has the Lord put in an submissive relationship with me
for their benefit?
To whom do I serve as shepherd in inconvenience and exhaustion?
for whom do I give account?
Give account to WHO? To God.
Who are those who I will account before God? What are their names? Problems?
What people group am I supposed to “smell like”; be intimate part of?
Shepherds smell like the sheep they account for because they’re among the sheep that they account for.
Who are those who are a JOY TO me—If you are a sheep, you might have as your #1 Goal as be a joy to the Lord. Your #2 goal could be be a joy to your pastor
I hope, I pray, that you are in a church with a shepherd who LOVES SHEEP.
Pray that his love would not flag. Pray for more love, all the way to the end
Pray that his work, his words, his leadership are founded in theloveofsheep
Think about this from the sheep perspective?
Why might a sheep WANT a shepherd?
1.Don’t you want to be Fed? Don’t you want breakfast tomorrow morning?
Don’t you want a spiritual breakfast regularly?
Sheeps gotta eat and many meals come under the guidance of sheph.
A Shepherd is out there looking for good pasture for you
Vision, accountability, exposure to Word,
2. Don’t you want to be tended?
Sheep generally cannot protect themselves well
Join so you have someone keeping watch over your soul
Someone practical, named, enduring, probably imperfect
Join so you have someone tending you.; layer of protection over you
Lead you to pasture; do for you what you cannot do for yourself; guideyou, care for you
It is a sick person, at least silly person,who does not wish to be cared for;
Who isolates themselves spiritually, relationally,
It is a sin-wracked person that only wishes to do “what she feels is right in her own eyes as it stands in Judges.
Yes, join so you know who is over you; --
Yes, Join so you get an earthly shepherd.
Yes, join so you know who your people are all around you.
Yes Join so you get an earthly flock—a people to be a part of
Join so you get TENDED. Do what you cannot do for self.
Care for you, take care of you.
Yes. Like my dog. The Lord wants shepherds like Peter to tend. And sheep like us to be tended. Pray for him to do a great job at shepherding. Pray for us to do at least as good a job as ASA does in being tended.