Any investor knows that the greater the risk he is willing to take, the greater the potential returns — but also financial loss as well. But when we apply this concept to leadership and choose to invest in a person’s life, we will face risks that we might not have expected.

For a season in my life, I chose to invest everything I had into my cell group members’ lives. That meant spending the majority of my time and energy meeting people. I saw their potential and who they could become. I thought I was a very good leader who could unleash their potential through my encouragement.

However, God brought me to a season in my life where He redefined leadership and love to me.

Two years ago, one of my members was in an emergency. I attended to her as fast as I could and advised her out of the hamster wheel she was in.

Yet in the process of helping her, I ended up achieving nothing but her hatred and unforgiveness towards me – and her eventual departure from church.

I remember receiving screenshots from other members of her hate texts that were public on social media. It was hard, reassuring the other members that I was alright, especially when a text message about something new she said popped up in my phone. I would sob bitterly behind the screen.

If you love Jesus, He is calling you to feed His sheep.

All the love that I poured out to her, my trust towards her and my high hopes of her being a strong disciple-maker in the cell group came crashing down. Wounded, I was on the verge of giving up being a leader.

For the next couple of months, I didn’t lead the rest of the members well. Although I tried my best to pretend that I was alright about the entire incident with my leaders and members, I would come before God with so much anger and bitterness: “How could this happen? This is a church! I did not do anything wrong, why did I receive such treatment?

In this difficult season, God led me to a person in the Bible — Peter.

Before Jesus went to Gethsemane, Jesus predicted that the disciples would soon desert him. Jesus knew that Peter would fail; that he would be intimidated by a humble servant girl and deny knowing the Lord (Matthew 26:33-35). Jesus’ words soon came to pass, as Peter denied Jesus (Matthew 28:69-75).

Could you imagine how Jesus would have felt? Denied by his disciple in the most painful of hours! But do you know what Jesus did? He restored Peter after His resurrection.

Peter had previously denied Jesus three times, though he claimed to love Jesus more than the other disciples. Here in John 21, Jesus asked Peter thrice if he loved Him. After Peter answered “yes” thrice, Jesus gave Peter an instruction regarding how he should act towards God’s people; Peter should demonstrate his love for Jesus by feeding Jesus’ lambs and tending to Jesus’ sheep.

This was a challenge by the Lord to Peter: To love and set his eyes on the work ahead.

When I read this, I realised that loving Jesus doesn’t mean just loving Him alone.

He has called us to love and feed His sheep. We could go on and justify how unlovable people are, but one truth remains: Just as Jesus died for me, Jesus died for them too. No one is too unlovable for us to love — it is we who often choose to love like Jesus loves.

Shepherding the flock isn’t so much about problem solving, speaking eloquently and Bible knowledge as it is obeying the greatest commandment: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).

Jesus’ love for us led to the cross. Jesus chose to obey what God had called Him to do, to die on the cross for our sins.

Our love for the unlovable might lead to heartbreak, and unforgiveness and hatred from others. But would it be comparable to the suffering Jesus went through for us? It wouldn’t! Let’s rejoice as much as we participate in the sufferings of Christ, so we may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:13).

Don’t be disheartened when the investment in your members seems to turn out as a loss. Take heart and continue to set your eyes on the work ahead. In hurt or discouragement, may we respond by choosing love over again and again.

If you love Jesus, He is calling you to feed His sheep. Would you take a step of faith to obey Him and risk loving again?

THINK + TALK
  1. Who is difficult to love in your life?
  2. Would you consider asking Jesus to top you up with love for this person?
  3. Who are Jesus’ sheep to you? What does it mean to feed them?
  4. What are some ways you do so?