After My Departure

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. 2 Peter 1:12-15

"It takes a man who has discovered something of the measures of his own weakness to be patient with the foibles of others. ... he does not easily despair of others, but looks beyond sinfulness, willfulness, and stupidity, to the might of unchanging love. The Lord Jesus does not give the charge, 'Be a shepherd to My lambs ... to My sheep,' on hearing Peter's self-confident affirmation of undying loyalty, but He gives it after he has utterly failed to keep his vows and has wept bitterly in the streets of Jerusalem." (from The Green Letters by Miles Stanford)

Peter, a disciple of Jesus Christ, had learned a bitter lesson about failure. Having denied the Lord three times, and agonizing in shame, he was called out by Jesus and commissioned to "feed my sheep." Three times. (John 21:15-17). Three stages of growth. Lambs who need milk and careful nurturing. Juveniles who need more solid food and perhaps more discipline. Mature sheep, who are firmly established in the truth, but need their memories refreshed from time to time, about the importance of being diligent in the Word, lest we become complacent and forget God's purpose for the Church. We all must be fed. Peter understood his responsibility to his flock and was determined to keep them reminded of the qualities that win souls and produce honorable fruit for God's Kingdom. Peter's job was to teach his congregation doctrine that would carry them forward after he was gone. Their job, our job is to maintain momentum as we move through our allotment of time, teaching those who will come behind us the solid truths of the Bible. "One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts." Psalm 145:4. If we don't teach it; if they don't learn it, nothing else matters.