There are so many earthly experiences in life which show us the powerful effect love has on everything we come in touch with.  One is the horse business.  There are horse lovers and there are horsemen.  Horse lovers do love horses and so do horsemen.  However, there is a great difference between the love (eros) expressed from horse lovers and the love (agape) shown from horsemen.  One is self serving while the other is sacrificial service to horses and their owners.

Horse lovers will have horses, usually more horses than they have money and time to care for appropriately.  Horse lovers like having horses because they like how horse ownership makes them feel.  Horse lovers are often irresponsible in overseeing these noble animals’ overall care. Horse lovers take little notice of what is fed to the horses.  They make little to no effort in getting the horses ready for the task they want the horses to perform.  And horse lovers have wrong expectations of the animal they are riding.  Their horses are often asked to perform while being undernourished or over fed (too heavy).  Their horses are often asked to do a certain task without the proper schooling, training and conditioning.  Their horses often perform while physically hurting as the ignorant ride them, taking no notice of the discomfort being expressed by the horses.  Do not take me wrong – this is not done on purpose, but out of blindness because of lack of study, improper discipleship (horsemanship), and poor stewardship of God’s creation.

Horsemen show a sacrificial love for horses.  They recognize that there is going to be some kind of accounting to God and the owners of the horses they are given stewardship over.  They study long and hard and put themselves under the discipleship of horsemen who have proved faithful.  They search to find the proper feeding and conditioning program, enabling the horses to achieve the goals set before them.  They spend the months needed to train and school the horses before asking them to perform any certain task.  A horseman’s expectation of the horses they train is that the animals respond with willing hearts. Horsemen are a blessing to horses and owners. They are the ones that make the true horse business a success.

God-fearing, Christ-centered, Holy Spirit led Christians are like horsemen.  They offer sacrificial service to mankind. (1 Corinthians 12-14)  They study to show themselves approved. (1 Thessalonians 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 4:2)  They know that there is going to be an accounting. (James 3:1; Hebrews 13:7) They make sure that the children of God are properly fed (Matthew 4:4) and prepared for works of service to God and man (Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 12:6)  This is done through sacrificial love for the Lord and mankind, thus, making the Lord’s work a success.