day no. 15,609: shepherd's pie

1 Peter 5:1-4
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Jeremiah 3:15
I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

God gives us shepherds, but these shepherds are first and foremost sheep. There is a Chief Shepherd who leads the sheep He calls to lead the other sheep. They are given hearts to follow God. They delight in being His possession and are led by His rod and staff. They then turn around and lead out of that. They give knowledge and understanding to others, but they are not the source. They pass along the knowledge and understanding they receive from God.

John 21:16-17
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.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

If Peter gives himself to the sheep, they will eat... until Peter is consumed. If Peter isn't being fed, he has nothing to feed them but himself. And God's sheep are not cannibals. They don't need more Peter in their diet. They need the Word of God. Peter doesn't need to be eaten alive in order to fulfill his mission, he needs to constantly return to the source of food so that he has something to feed those who follow him.

Shepherd's pie should not be a dish that ends with the shepherd dead and the sheep on the verge of starvation. If the shepherd is on the menu, all the sheep will die. If the shepherd orders off of and according to God’s menu plan and gives that to the sheep, all the sheep thrive.