Neville Goddard on 1 Peter 5:1-2 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Peter 5 in context

Scripture Focus

1The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

2Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

1 Peter 5:1-2

Biblical Context

This passage invites elders to shepherd the community with voluntary, joyful leadership. It cautions against leading for money, urging a ready mind.

Neville's Inner Vision

In Neville’s terms, the elder within you is the steady I AM, the witness to the old self’s sufferings and a participant in the glory that waking awareness reveals. The elder is the state of consciousness that oﬀers true stewardship, for the flock represents your thoughts and feelings, and feeding them means nourishing them with faith, gratitude, and disciplined attention. Oversight is not coercion from without but a deliberate ordering of your inner climate; you oversee what you permit to rule your mind. Do this not from constraint or for filthy lucre, but with a ready mind—an inner readiness to serve the whole psyche. When you assume this state, your governance becomes quiet and loving, and the flock follows toward harmony. The glory that shall be revealed is the realization of alignment with God within, bringing peace, order, and a thriving inner kingdom into expression. Practically, you become the mindful gardener of your own inner garden, trimming fear and planting faith, so that your life bears the fruit of this inward governance.