We want to be in control! It’s one of the fiercest temptations in daily life. We want to control our lives, the lives of our children, the outcome at work, our marriages, our health; we even want to control God.
We worry and fret over how we can produce a favorable future. We plan for things that never happen! We manipulate and try to arrange things for our benefit. Fear grips us.
When we don’t get our way, and we lose control, we can “throw a fit,” even as adults. We can pout with the best of them! We can make life miserable for those around us.
With a heart to encourage pastors, this has been a frequent inquiry.
May I share a recent response in hopes of encouraging you, too?
While engaged in a morning conversation with a pastor of over 40 years experience, I asked, “What keeps you encouraged in ministry?” His reply took him back to his early days. He said, “I had an old pastor say to me, ‘If I had to do it over again, I would spend the first hours of the morning in prayer and Bible study.’ Being young and cocky I bypassed his exhortation and set out to push programs in ministry; to get the job done my way.” With tears now coursing down his cheeks, he said, “In the past five years, God has broken me and made me become a man of intercessory prayer.”
Pastor, there is no greater place to be encouraged in ministry than at the feet of Jesus! John 15:4-5 records the blessed, encouraging, directive words of Christ as He spoke to His disciples in the Upper Room, and now to us, Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Psalm 73 depicts Asaph wrestling over the apparent prosperity of the wicked in this life versus the sorrows of the righteous. His viewpoint changed when he went into the sanctuary of God (73:17). Spurgeon says it so well in his Treasury of David commentary . . . “His mind entered the eternity where God dwells as in a holy place, he left the things of sense for the things invisible, his heart gazed within the veil, he stood where the thrice holy God stands. Thus he shifted his point of view, and apparent disorder resolved itself into harmony.”
Where is your “sanctuary”? Yes, we are indwelt now by the Trinity (John 14) in the inner man so we do not go to the temple to meet with God, but where is that place to which you resort to cry out to God . . . to share your burdens, your anguish, your sorrows, your discouragements, your need of abiding in the Vine? Where’s that quiet place that in the midst of your darkness you run to your God whose ear is open to your cry (Psalm 34:15)?
Asaph ends Psalm 73 with these words, But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works (73:28).
Pastor friend, after a long day serving on Sunday, the Lord is waiting to meet you in the sanctuary to encourage your heart, to hear your burdens, and to receive your praise.
“If I had to do it over again, I would spend the first hours of the morning in prayer . . . .”
Never think you have to always go high dollar to make investments in your marriage.
Having finished a peaceful hour sitting on the dock of a friend’s cottage in the middle of nowhere on Watauga Lake, I said, “Hey, let’s go to Dollar General, get a carton of ice cream, and head for Watauga Point to watch the sunset.” No more had it been said, we were off!
The selection as stated by my wife was mint chocolate chip or something chocolatey. Well, the choices were slim, so Kit Kat Bar ice cream was it. Hey, it’s ice cream. That’s all that matters, right?
We parked, walked through the flock of geese in the open lawn and pointed our chairs toward the sun. With two spoons and a carton of frozen goodness, we ate, talked, watched the boats go by, enjoyed the beauty of a sailboat, commented about a small plane flying over the lake with the mountain behind as a backdrop, and took pictures of all the beauty around us!
Sometimes, spontaneity is a good thing in a marriage. Next time your spouse says, “Hey, let’s . . . .” Say, “Sure!”
You see, we’re just two lovers in our middle sixties still havin’ fun on the scenic route in marriage, and we want you to as well!
Monday’s Ministry Encouragement: Written to encourage you, my friend in ministry, to be refreshed and renewed as we live for Christ and look toward the Bema.
“I’m a visionary. I make a plan, execute the plan, and then ask God to bless it!”
Pastor friend, is that you? If we are all honest, we have said something along those lines in our ministry lifetime.
As revealed last week, my wife and I are launching out into a new field of ministry (Post #1, Post #2, and Post #3). This is a step of faith., and one we believe is totally of the Lord’s initiative.
I am greatly intrigued by a truth from the life of Christ that I cannot clearly grasp, but it speaks volumes to me. In John 5:19, we read, Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. And He goes on to say are recorded in John 5:30, I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Here is Jesus, very God, saying that He cannot do anything of Himself, only what He sees the Father doing, and He does nothing of His own initiative.
Pastor, we put so much pressure upon ourselves that is not pleasing to God. Our expectations, the expectations that we think the congregation has for us, the accomplishment of our goals, the false fulfillment of achieving our goals, all lead to a potentially frustrating, discouraging ministry. This path could even lead to a degree of fallout in the ministry.
Men, look at Christ, the Head of the Church, the Head of the local church you pastor. He did nothing of His own initiative, only what He saw the Father doing. Therefore, each of us as pastors must spend time in the prayer closet with our eye upon Him through His Word hearing from the Head of the Church, and then following what He initiates.
With all due respect, everything does not rise and fall on leadership. Everything rises and falls on God. Therefore, keep your eye on Him. What He initiates, He provides for, He is responsible for the results, and He gets all the glory! What you initiate, you have to provide for, keep it propped up, and you get the glory! You may get some results, but your reward is here, not at the Bema. It’s the difference of Christ pastoring His flock through you or you pastoring your flock through you. . . and then asking God to bless it!
There is nothing wrong with planning, setting goals, and executing the plan . . . as long as it was of Christ’s doing, His initiative, gleaned by abiding in the Vine (John 15:1-16)!
What has Christ initiated in the ministry where you serve?
As a dad, life presents its share of joy-filled moments:
The birth of your child!
The first steps of your child!
That first meal prepared by your child (that you can eat)!
Going off to camp!
That clutch home run in the ninth inning to win the championship!
Their first job and receiving their first paycheck!
Getting their driver’s license!
Finding God’s mate in marriage!
Watching your own children become parents!
Most certainly, this could be an expansive list! But in this post, I am sharing what I believe to be the greatest joy of being a dad! It is all wrapped up in one word – discipleship!
Monday’s Ministry Encouragement: Written to encourage you, my friend in ministry, to be refreshed and renewed as we live for Christ and look toward the Bema.
Please read on lest you think I’m uncaring and cold-hearted.
Recently I attended a graveside service at a cemetery nestled on a hillside overlooking a quiet, beautiful Virginia valley. Although I did not know the deceased, my heart hurt for his wife of many years as well as family and friends.
Monday’s Ministry Encouragement: Written to encourage you, my friend in ministry, to be refreshed and renewed as we live for Christ and look toward the Bema.
He has been in ill health for awhile. Recently, he has been battling mini-strokes which has hospitalized him again.
Standing by this bedside I ask, “How are you doing spiritually?” He struggled to answer.
“Do you doubt God’s love for you?” “No.”
“Do you wonder if He’s forsaken you?” “No.”
“Do you know He loves and cares for you?” “Yes.”
As I read Psalm 34, his countenance displayed he was connecting with . . .
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Continuing to struggle to verbalize his thoughts, I began to sing, “He Is Able to Deliver Thee” and he joined in.
From there we sang, “He Touched Me,” “Blessed Assurance,” “It Is Well With My Soul,” “Are Ye Able Said the Master?, and “In the Garden.” Amazing how he works so hard to express his thoughts, yet he hardly misses a word of song.
After prayer, he took his right hand from beneath the covers and reached for mine for a handshake. As I took his hand, he pulled me to him. I hugged him, and he held onto my hand. From one brother in Christ to another, I said, “I love you, friend. You are very dear to me. I’m cheering you on! Your church family is praying for you.” As best he could he said, “I know. They sent me some cards.”
I have heard it said so often, “one of the best ways to get the focus off of your own pain/cares/discouragement, etc., is to go be a blessing to someone else.”
Ministry friend, are you down-hearted today? Does the Monday Ministry Blues have you in its grip? Are you weighed down with ministry burdens? How about making a visit to a dear saint of God? Read Scripture to them. Sing some of their favorites with them. When you leave, your vision of Christ will be clearer and your heart will lifted with joy and blessing.
On this Sunday, our morning gathering was a blessing in so many, many wonderful ways. This afternoon visit was the “icing on the cake.”
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. (2 Corinthians 1:3-6)
Standing in Arlington National Cemetery, April 19, 2008, tears streamed down my face as I considered the multiplied thousands who had given their lives for the freedom we so undeservedly experience.
I have not forgotten that solemn day. I have not forgotten their sacrifice. I have not forgotten the exchange of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I have not forgotten the extreme cost of freedom.
Thank you for the ultimate price of your life for freedom that must never be taken for granted but celebrated daily in these United States of America!
While visiting our family doctor for our yearly exams, the subject turned to eating out. Our physician said, “The price of food in restaurants continues to rise as does the suggested tips. Isn’t it interesting that some folk have no problem giving the server a 25% tip yet struggle with a 10% tithe.”
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