Basic HTML Version
Special Care of the Flock, July 23
Know ye that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we
ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 100:3
.
[Jesus] knows the wants of each of His creatures and reads the hidden, unspoken
grief of every heart. If one of the little ones for whom He died is injured, He sees
it and calls the offender to account. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He cares for His
feeble, sickly, wandering sheep. He knows them all by name. The distress of every
sheep and every lamb of His flock touches His heart of sympathizing love, and the
cry for aid reaches His ear. One of the greatest sins of the shepherds of Israel is thus
pointed out by the prophet: “The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye
healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither
have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that
which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were
scattered, because there is no shepherd.... None did search or seek after them”....
As Deity He exerts mighty power in our behalf, while as our Elder Brother He
feels for all our woes. The Majesty of heaven held not Himself aloof from degraded,
sinful humanity. We have not a high priest who is so high, so lifted up, that He
cannot notice us or sympathize with us, but one who was in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin....
You will have many perplexities to meet in your Christian life in connection
with the church, but do not try too hard to mold your brethren. If you see that they
do not meet the requirements of God’s Word, do not condemn; if they provoke, do
not retaliate. When things are said that would exasperate, quietly keep your soul
from fretting.... You must labor for the erring with a heart subdued, softened by the
Spirit of God, and let the Lord work through you, the agent. Roll your burden on
Jesus. You feel that the Lord must take up the case where Satan is striving for the
mastery over some soul; but you are to do what you can in humility and meekness,
and put the tangled work, the complicated matters, into the hands of God. Follow
the directions in His word, and leave the outcome of the matter to His wisdom.
Having done all you can to save your brother, cease worrying, and go calmly about
other pressing duties. It is no longer your matter, but God’s.
Do not, through impatience, cut the knot of difficulty, making matters hopeless.
Let God untangle the snarled-up threads for you. He is wise enough to manage the
complications of our lives. He has skill and tact. We cannot always see His plans;
we must wait patiently their unfolding and not mar and destroy them. He will reveal
them to us in His own good time. Seek for unity; cultivate love and conformity
to Christ in all things. He is the source of unity and strength.... If you do as God
would have you, His blessing will come into the church (
Testimonies for the Church
5:346-348
).
[219]
218