“The flock that is among you.” What an amazing phrase. Not some other flock somewhere else. Not the masses on social media. Not those who would be part of a platform. These people, this flock, matters. They need all of our attention and love. They are the ones to whom God has called you. Out of love he has placed you there to serve them.

I don’t know how many times I’ve read Peter’s instructions to elders in 1 Peter 5. This past week, though, the first part of verse 2 jumped out at me: “shepherd the flock of God that is among you…”

It’s not too different from Paul’s instructions to the Ephesian elders: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers…” (Acts 20:28).

“The flock that is among you.” What an amazing phrase. Not some other flock somewhere else. Not the masses on social media. Not those who would be part of a platform. These people, this flock, matters. They need all of our attention and love. They are the ones to whom God has called you. Out of love he has placed you there to serve them.

I was convicted as I read William Still’s book The Work of the Pastor:

When you are sure of your calling as pastors and teachers, then you must be wholly geared to that life … We are not called to make a crowd of worldly folk happy – even worldly evangelistic folk happy – but so to labour amongst them that, through many tribulations, discouragements and misunderstandings, we form a faithful people of God, however small a remnant of the total congregation that may be.

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