Proverbs 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is
haughty, and before honour is
humility.
To all my pastor buddies out there... I love you and appreciate you!!!
I suppose one of the unfortunate things to happen to ministry in America
in these past several years is the idea of a Pastor Appreciation Month. Boy,
has that backfired on the clergy!
I suppose some very well-meaning, big-hearted individual thought it
would be extremely appropriate to give honor to pastors by setting aside a
whole month to appreciate the pastors. That month, the pastor could be showered
with texts, tweets, e-mails, FB messages expressing gratitude for their labors.
Church families could invest a Sunday afternoon meal for the preacher and his
family, whereby Tyson could make a killing (literally and figuratively) in
chicken sales. A special service could be set aside in the church during
October to do a "this is your life" for the preacher. Gift cards to
Amazon or Barnes and Noble would be given the preacher to enhance his library.
The church may invest in a conference on ministry to help the preacher better
tend the flock or to preach the Word more effectively. Some churches may even
use this opportunity to send the pastor and his bride away for a weekend at a
resort or, possibly even a cruise, mission’s trip or Holy Land excursion for
pastors who have led and fed well for many years. (Really, most would be satisfied with a personal note, handshake or pat on the back.)
May God richly bless whoever this person is or was had these noble
intentions.
However, for the most part, the common church goer either has no idea
that such an appreciation month even exists, or, they have an inkling but
assume somebody will carry the ball in such matters then they will just
participate when the secret note has been passed.
But the memos generally fail to initiate. Somebody assumes someone else
will generate the real-good-feel-good effort on behalf of the church and before
you know it, the ghosts, ghouls and goblins of October are exchanged for the
cornucopias of November and, to the pastor’s chagrin, the moment was not seized.
I have two things to say to you, dear co-laborers in the vineyard.
One, this pastor knows of and recognizes your labors and gives thanks to
the Lord for you. This fellow servant offers his hand in fellowship, his
shoulder in sorrow, his heart in compassion and his appreciation in the work.
And, more importantly, two, your appreciation day is just over the
horizon. The crown which will never tarnish is on order now. Listen to what
Peter has to say about the Hallmark greeting you will be met with in the Halls
of Glory...
1Peter 5:1 The 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: 2 Feed 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; 3 Neither as being
lords over God's heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto
the elder. Yea, all of you be
subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the
proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may
exalt you in due time:
So preach on preacher. Encourage the hurting, exhort the laborers,
rebuke the unruly, feed your flock, win the lost, disciple the saved. God is not is not unrighteous to forget your
work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have
ministered to the saints, and do minister. Heb. 6:10
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