𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐩 ✍️ “𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.” We may say we love Christ, sing our devotion, and attend church faithfully—but Jesus asks deeper: “Lovest thou me?” It is easy to confess love for the Shepherd while overlooking the sheep beside us. Whether busy in ministry or focused on ourselves, the question is not just if we love Christ—but if that love moves us to care for those He loves. In 🕮 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟐𝟏:𝟏𝟕, Jesus asked Peter three times, “𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘦?… 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘱.” Each time, love was linked to responsibility for His people. Jesus did not ask about gifts, followers, or success—only, “Lovest thou me?” followed by the command to care for His sheep. Love for Christ is not shown by words alone, but by faithful care for those who belong to Him. A shepherd does not love his sheep from a distance. He walks with them, feeds them, watches them, protects them, and carries the weak. So it is with believers: we do not love Christ by ignoring His people; we love Him by tending to their needs, their wounds, and helping them grow in the Word. Scripture ties love to shepherding. “𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘱” (𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟐𝟏:𝟏𝟕). “𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬… 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥” (𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝟐𝟎:𝟐𝟖). “𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥… 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺” (𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓:𝟐). “I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them” (𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝟐𝟑:𝟒). We do not care for people to earn love; we care because we are loved. But feeding sheep requires giving them truth, not just attention. A starving sheep needs nourishment, not empty words. We must avoid feeding only what people want to hear while withholding what their souls need. “𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥” (𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝟒:𝟒). Don’t offer spiritual cotton candy—sweet to taste, but unable to nourish. Before Christ commanded Peter to feed His sheep, He first fed us with His own life. He gave Himself as the Good Shepherd who “𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘱” (𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏𝟎:𝟏𝟏). Through His death, burial, and resurrection (𝟏 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟓:𝟑–𝟒), He secured our salvation and gathered us into His fold. We care for His people because Christ first cared for us, feeding our wandering souls with grace. Yet the question still reaches us today: “𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘦?” It is not answered by songs, sermons, or words alone. Who around us is spiritually hungry, discouraged, or weary? We need Christ not just to give us people to care for, but because He is the Good Shepherd who teaches us to love His sheep. If we love Him, we cannot ignore His sheep. Feed, strengthen, and love them as Christ loved us. 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫: Heavenly Father, forgive our self-focused faith. Thank You for Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us. Give us tender, compassionate hearts to care for Your people, feeding and protecting the flock with sacrificial love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. Remember, a dose of God’s Word a day will keep you going all day! 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐝... _____________________________________________________ All scripture references were taken from the KJV Bible. Thank you for allowing this ministry to be a part of your day… If my posts speak to your heart, you may be blessed by the full devotional series created for deeper reflection and journaling: 👉 FREE FlipBook Previews: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/ae17998766.html 📚 Also available now on Amazon (Kindle & Paperback) ✨ Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/author/dennislastimoso Also, just in case you need a reliable, dedicated online Bible Study Tool, I created one for you. 👉 Try it here for FREE, anytime at your hand: https://www.baptistry.app Your support helps us continue this ministry, edifying the believers around the world. May God bless you more abundantly…