Laboring in Shepherding

Proverbs 14:4 Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox.
Proverbs 14:23 In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

These verses in the Bible were a shot in my arm as I read them yesterday. There has been much labor in taking care of the new ones. In all the cases, the Lord has been gracing me to pay the price to shepherd them. Shepherding comes with a price; even a heavy price. Time, money, and energy is involved. 

Of course, all shepherding will produce a result. The result is always a battle between God and Satan. The more the new ones are shepherded, the more they grow in life, the more their eyes are open, and the more the desire to blend with the saints in the church. But this produces conflict within their being; there is a struggle between their spirit and soul. The soul reasons and being captivated by Satan, confuse them. Yet their spirits being enlightened wants to take the way of the cross to come into the church life. This is a definite spiritual battle.

Many of the new ones I have been shepherding are struggling with this matter. Some families and saints have fully come into the church-life. Yet some are really struggling. On the one hand, they enjoy the shepherding through the word, yet on the other hand, they were bound in where they have been in their religious or social background. This is a genuine struggle.

Often, when I consider the situation of the new ones I have been shepherding, I used to question myself: Am I laboring in vain? Why haven't the new ones fully blend into the church life? Should I continue this shepherding? Or, am I being fooled? Yet on careful and detail analysis, I realized that the Lord is working on them, and also on me. I should not give up shepherding, at the same time, I should discern how much time I spent on them and how frequently. And list them on a priority basis, besides, raising up more saints to carry out the work of shepherding.

Looking at the result, quantitatively speaking, on how many of these ones have attended the Lord's Table Meeting regularly, I felt discouraged. Often, I graded the result of my service as "Zero." But the Lord reminded me with these verses, "much increase comes by the strength of the ox" and "In all labor there is profit." Therefore, with the grace of the Lord, I continue to labor on the new ones; keep feeding them without proselyting them. Whether they follow the way of the Lord's recovery or not, my responsibility is to keep feeding them. As they are being fed, my responsibility is fulfilled. And the Lord will lead them into the flock in His own time.

Lord, grace me to labor like an ox.