“Becoming a Shepherd (excerpts),” New Era, Nov. 2018, 36–37.
Becoming a Shepherd (excerpts)
The Savior asked Peter, “Lovest thou me … ?”
Peter answered, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.”
When asked this question both a second and a third time, “Lovest thou me?” Peter was grieved yet confirmed his love: “Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep” [John 21:15–17; emphasis added]. …
Last April, President Russell M. Nelson extended a similar invitation to us to feed our Father’s sheep in a holier way and to do so through ministering [see “Ministering,” Apr. 2018 general conference].
To effectively accept this invitation, we must develop a shepherd’s heart and understand the needs of the Lord’s sheep. So how do we become the shepherds the Lord needs us to become? …
As we strive to follow the Savior’s example, we must first know and number His sheep. We have been assigned specific individuals and families to tend so we are certain that all of the Lord’s flock are accounted for and no one is forgotten. …
A second way to develop the heart of a shepherd is to watch over His sheep. …
Third, we want our sheep to be gathered into the fold of God.
To do so, we must consider where they are on the covenant path and be willing to walk with them on their journey of faith. …
The Lord invites us to feed His sheep, to tend His flocks as He would. … And He desires His young people to join in the cause. …
Young women and young men, we need you! If you don’t have a ministering assignment, talk with your Relief Society or elders quorum president. They will rejoice in your willingness to make certain His sheep are known and numbered, watched over, and gathered into the fold of God.
When the day comes that we will kneel at the feet of our beloved Savior, having nourished His flock, I pray we can answer as did Peter: “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee” [John 21:15]. These, Thy sheep, are loved, they are safe, and they are home.