A constant reality for pastors

There are many never-ending aspects of ministry.

Sunday comes every week.

There always seems to be another hurting person.

We endlessly seem to work on another ministry task, another parishioner’s need or another Bible study/sermon.

But I personally think that one of the most difficult realities of ministry is that we are daily and weekly praying, studying and ministering out of an awareness of sin and the shortcomings of humanity, especially our own!

We are, of course, praying for God’s help in people’s lives, we are declaring regularly the promises and gospel of Jesus, we are pointing people to the Lord and we are seeking to base our teaching and our ministry on the Word of God.

And yet through it all we are constantly aware of the fact that we ourselves are people who need a Savior. We pastors, as humans, often fall short of the glory of God in terms of our impatience, unkindness, hardness of heart, or other areas of compromise, impurity and sin.

Most other vocations do not so deeply or clearly deal with the shortcomings of not only humanity but also the very person doing the work. Of course counselors and therapists come to mind as having a comparative understanding and yet they don’t necessarily deal with the personal spiritual and eternal consequences of their daily vocational choices.

It’s not like we as ministers can just do our work with personal detachment. We are dealing with the heart of people and therefore with our own heart. Sometimes it might be nice just to go to work and not have to worry about whether or not our work will reveal another personal area of insufficiency, selfishness or immaturity.

But on the positive side of things, we as pastors do have the privilege of coming face to face with our own selves and simultaneously with the answer to our sins and shortcomings (Jesus!).

I understand that you might prefer to be in a vocation that is more 9-5 and that you can just leave it at the door when you clock out for the night. I understand that pastors might prefer to be in a job that doesn’t seem to shine such a bright light on our own personal faults and flaws. But the good news is that we can each personally receive God’s unconditional love and abounding/sufficient grace as part of our daily/weekly time at work. So then when we tell others that God is able to save and deliver them and give them hope, peace, forgiveness, freedom and healing, then we have something to really talk about, because God first did His work in us, before we ever declared it to others.

Of course we have to make sure not to desensitize ourselves to our own guilt and shame or tune out the voice of God, for then we will have less than nothing to say to others in terms of ministry and preaching but we might even lose our own souls!

Pastor, I pray that although you and I have this constant reality of having to let God deal with us first before He ever works through us, may we accept this as a gift of God. What other job in the whole world can say that it puts you in touch with the Creator of the universe, the Savior of mankind and the Good and Gracious Heavenly Father, literally as part of your job?!

Wow, what a privilege! Thank you Lord for your abounding love to me.

Be present

God has been teaching me (over and over again in fact) that one of the most important things in all of life is to be present to Him and present to each person that I with in each moment.

And of course God is always and ever present, so I ought to be present to Him each and every moment as well. Brother Lawrence called this “practicing the presence of God.” Paul expressed this as “praying without ceasing.” Other Biblical passages talk about keeping our eyes fixed on God and our mind fixed on the things above.

We also should be available and present to the person in front of us. Sometimes this is especially difficult if we have an important decision or appointment coming up, or if the person in front of us is boring or aggravating (and we would just prefer to be anywhere else but here). Other times it can be hard if we haven’t slept well, or if we are worrying about something. And on and on the list goes. But just as it is vitally important to be present to God, so too we must be present to the person in front of us. God did not cause or allow that person to be there with us in that particular moment if we were not to be available to them (and them to us).

Finally we need to be present to the circumstance and opportunity God has in front of us. We can do nothing about the events of the past (other than commit them to Him for His redemption). In regard to the future, all we can do is pray and prepare for upcoming circumstances. So the most important thing in life is to discover what God has for us to do in this moment and then be fully present in this moment.

  • In this moment should I be serving?
  • Or planning?
  • Or praying?
  • Or listening?
  • Or learning?
  • Or meditating?
  • Or praising?
  • Or helping?

And the list goes on. But we simply must be present to God and listen for His voice. And if His voice speaks the name of a person to us (or physically brings a person before us) then it is our responsibility (and privilege!) to be present to that person, even as we are present to God and letting Him guide our interaction with them. And if God brings no person before us then we must ask God what else He would have us do in the moment. There is always something to do (whether work, play, worship or rest) and we must learn to be fully available to that thing that God prompts us to do.

Do you believe in them?

Dear pastor,

I once read a story about a little boy who wanted to play darts with his dad. He told his dad: “I will throw the dart and you say ‘wonderful!’”

How important for each of us to remember that we really need people to believe in us and to cheer us on.

As you and I pastor our people, we need to think about the words we use to help them know that we believe in them.

If we mention to them that we miss them in church and they come up with some excuse why they couldn’t be there, we can either respond with:

  • “you know you are letting you family down when you don’t come” or we can say:
  • “we will always save you a seat. I know that as you come to church and bring your family you will truly be a blessing and encourage to them.”

I have visited with people before who really were convinced that they could never forgive someone because the pain was too deep. But as the Lord led, me I said to them: “I believe that God is going to help you to forgive them. I know you can do it as you lean on the Lord.”

So many people have been told so many times that they cannot do it (even by themselves) that they have begun to believe it.

Between the harsh, critical words that people regularly hear from others and from their own negative self-talk it is no wonder that people throw in the towel, sometimes before they even make an effort.

As pastors, we need to believe in people. We can’t reproach them negatively and expect to get a positive response. We can’t criticize how well they are singing, how regularly they are “amen-ing” or deride them for not exuberantly saying “good morning” when we great them in worship service. This will never glean a positive response.

As pastors, we need to say things like:

  • You are so kind
  • You are such a good listener
  • We have such a generous congregation
  • I’m so proud of you, seeking to do the right thing
  • Thank you for making such a great effort
  • I know that with God helping you, you will be able to _____________________

We know that flattery is lying and that the world is all about using platitudes to puff people up and get things from them. That is not at all what I am talking about.

Instead we need to be the ones that believe God can save their marriage, God can deliver them from addiction, God can provide for them what is lacking, and we need to be the ones who believe that our people can indeed walk by faith, believing and doing what God says.

So please, this week, believe in people, let them know that you do, and spur them on toward love and good deeds by your affirming words: “I know that with God’s help you can!”

Looking for a friend

Do you ever find yourself longing for a good friend to just take an interest in your life? You know, someone who will take the first step to see how you are doing?

It seems that we are terrible at making friends and perhaps equally as bad at befriending and cherishing the people who are already in our lives.

People are busy. People are in a hurry. People are overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy. People are stressed out by the demands of life.

And people feel forgotten. And alone.

Have you felt this way? Do you know what I am talking about?

The struggle seems to be that even when we do have true friends, that really do care, they often are so busy with their stuff that they just don’t seem to have time or energy to reach out.

But you and I have the opportunity to change that. God is calling us to be a good friend to others.

This of course takes time and effort. But interestingly enough, if you make the effort, God will help provide the time.

Furthermore, we sometimes wonder whether we have the emotional bandwidth to talk to another person (even our friends whom we deeply love and care for) so we wait until we “feel” stronger, healthier and more able to be a good friend to them. And yet just as with the issue of time, so too with emotional stamina: if we make the effort God will supply the love, compassion and attention that we need to be a good friend.

In the Bible there are two really good words for us to pay attention to. The first is “philoxenia” which is most often translated “hospitality.” What it means literally is “love for strangers.” If you and I take the time and put in the effort to love strangers and neighbors, God will help to make them friends. Be hospitable. Ask someone to go to lunch or coffee. Have them over for fellowship and games.

The second word is “phileo” which is translated “brotherly love.” Scripture abounds with verses about us honoring, loving and caring for our “brothers.” The friends that God has placed in our lives need to be seen, heard, valued, treasured, and appreciated. And in order to do that, we must make the effort, we must reach out, we must be intentional. Help someone with a struggle. Write them a “thank you” card or “thinking of you” card. Drop by a plate of cookies to cheer them up.

As we do these things, God will supply the time, the energy, the opportunity to show love, to make friends, to build each other up, and truly to find joy in the relationships God has placed us in.

Who can you contact today? Don’t delay. Do it now. Send a text or message them online or even better call or visit them. Don’t worry about what you will say. Just ask a couple questions. Listen attentively. God will help the conversation to develop and as it does you will be amazed to see the love and friendship grow.

Things I regret

These are the things I regret:

  • Not developing healthy habits early on in my life
    • Good bedtimes
    • Starting each day with personal devotions
    • Ending each day with personal devotions
    • Kneeling beside my bed to pray
    • Leading my family in devotions
    • Leading my family to kneel before the Lord and pray out loud
    • Regular exercise routines
    • Regular checkbook balancing, specific routines for paying bills, praying for God’s provision
    • Healthy eating habits
  • Not practicing generosity
    • Intentionally giving to other people
    • Praying with other people when they expressed their need
  • Not being intentional and bold in witnessing
    • Sharing the hope of the gospel with others
    • Inviting people to church
    • Giving away Bibles and tracts 
  • Not discipling my kids well
    • Taking them out weekly to find out about their lives
    • Spending time weekly with them doing something they love
    • Sharing the Bible with them
    • Asking them discipleship, growth, accountability questions
    • Studying the Bible with them
    • Noticing what matters to them
    • Helping them memorize the Word
    • Praying regularly for them
  • Not nurturing my marriage or cherishing my wife well
    • More date nights
    • More words of affirmation
    • Keep the romance alive
    • Listen well and be present in sickness and in health
  • Not listening well
    • Speaking too much and too quickly
    • Thinking too highly of my own thoughts/words/agenda
    • Paying too much attention to self and feelings
    • Not loving well through sacrificial action
  • Not being present
    • Being too busy
    • Being too distracted
    • Believing the lie that there is not enough time
    • Thinking that the grass is greener somewhere else
    • Not being satisfied, contented with what I have
    • Not finding joy in this moment

These are things I regret. 

But since I don’t have a time machine, there is no way I can go back and change these things in the past.

I need the courage of the Lord to apologize to the people that these choices affected. I want and need to ask their forgiveness and make them aware that I am sorrowful over the impact of these choices (which were primarily made in selfishness, distraction or hurry, though some were made in ignorance).

I need to put these all under the blood of Jesus, so that He can forgive, cleanse and redeem. 

I cannot live in regret, which is basically placing myself under condemnation and walking around with guilt and shame. The Bible says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So I need to give these to God, trust Him to work the miracles of redemption in each of them and ask the Lord to change my present and future behavior to now address these things.

I don’t want to live with regret. I know that true regret is a form of godly conviction of guilt so that I will confess it to Him and then trust Him to help me repent and walk in the newness of life that He gives me. False regret is nothing more than the accusation and condemnation of Satan, and I must learn to say “Get thee behind me Satan. I have given that to God, it is redeemed by His blood and you have no place here.”

  • Do you have true regret as conviction from the Lord? Will you give it to Him and let Him redeem it?
  • Do you have false regret as condemnation from Satan? Will you reject those worthless accusations and walk away from the traps of the enemy?
  • Do you have new things that God is calling you to say and to do so that in the future you will not have regret? Please, get busy, today doing those things. 

What God calls you to, He will equip you to do. Today is a new day. Let us seek to live a life without regret.

Being present

Dear pastor,

What if your presence with them was enough?

  • Have you ever struggled with the idea that you have to have something super profound to say when you are meeting with people or preaching & teaching?
  • Have you ever felt like the only way to be a successful pastor is to be super creative?
  • Have you ever felt the pressure to measure up to some standard or live up to certain expectations that seem nearly impossible?

But what if your presence was enough?

What if God is simply asking you and me to be present to the person in front of us?

I believe that we set ourselves up for failure and place unnecessary, unrealistic and impossible expectations on ourselves because we think that if we are not clever, entrepreneurial, fascinating, fun, cool, engaging, etc then we will never succeed as a pastor.

But God really isn’t interested in our success (at least not the way we think of it).

God wants us to be available to Him and available to the people He places on our path.

God wants us to be present to His Spirit and present to His people.

And when we are present and available, God can use that. God will use that.

So when you are at church this week, or leading a Bible study, or listening to a parishioner, or making a phone call or grabbing lunch with someone…be present.

Be present by listening carefully. Be present by leaning in and noticing the person in front of you. Be present by speaking what God nudges you to say and by being silent until/unless He does nudge you.

I really think that in preaching, teaching and leading we “accomplish” far more by being present than by any number of other “impressive” things we think we could say or do.

Be present, be a conduit for God to flow through. And then watch God work!

God’s story

We are all characters in God’s story.

The Bible helps us to see that everything that is unfolding around us (on earth, throughout the cosmos) as well as all that has taken place throughout history, has not been the respective stories of billions of individual people but rather the one singular story of God’s love, creativity, grace and redemption.

So often it feels like we are each the main characters in the movies of our own lives. We are tempted to believe that the world revolves around us and that everything that happens either serves to help or hinder our forward progress towards our destiny.

But again, let us be reminded that everything that takes place is in fact a smaller story within the greater story of God’s existence, God’s character and God’s activity.

We get to be a part of His story, but we all have to choose what part we will play.

Will we be a part of His family? Will our story-line be aligned with the main plot of honoring and glorifying Him and seeing the world reconciled, redeemed and restored?

Or will ours be a dead-end story-line where we partner with one or more of the enemies of the Lord and find ourselves defeated and ultimately removed from the “happily ever after” that is guaranteed to God and His beloved?

Please, remember that the story is all about God. He is the main character. He is the protagonist. He is the One who is working towards “happily ever after” with His beloved and truly every enemy that dares to come against Him will find themselves removed from the scene.

The privilege of declaring the gospel

What a joy it is to tell people of the peace and freedom that is available to them in Christ Jesus!

All of us have particular needs, and the amazing reality is that God wants to meet these needs. The good news of the gospel is that He longs and yearns to supply all that we need simply because of the overflow of His heart of love for us. 

When we love someone we don’t want to see them in pain or in lack and so whatever we can do to bring them through to a place of provision, healing, joy, peace and freedom, that is exactly what we will attempt. 

But in God’s case, He isn’t attempting anything. Instead He has already fully finished the work, and He has 100% availed salvation, provision, protection, deliverance and abundant life. It is all there simply for those will receive it. 

And here is the beautiful thing for Christians, pastors and evangelists: we all get to tell people, all the time, that God is able to save completely those who come to Him. 

We have the privilege and honor of sharing the Scriptures and pointing people to the benevolant heart of God. As we remind people of the promises and declarations of God and His unconditional love, sufficient grace and overflowing generosity, not only do we get to rejoice in Him but we also get to see other people discover the beauty and majesty and glory of our great God.

So please, this week, whenever you talk, but especially as you are giving testimony to what God has done or what God has offered and particularly if you are preaching or teaching the gospel of Jesus, make sure to declare joyfully and fully that God has everything we need for life and godliness. All we have to do is ask.

Can we trust Him?

Trusting means believing that someone will do something that they have said they would and that they have the capacity to do so. Trusting is about taking someone at their word and believing that they have the intellect, time, energy, strength and provision to make it happen. 

  • Do I trust God? 
  • Do I really take Him at His Word?
  • Do I believe that God is only and always a truth-teller so whatever He has declared I can bank on it happening, in His timing and in His way? 

This is the question of trust.

  • But furthermore, do I think God is wise enough to know how to address my problem?
  • Do I believe that God has sufficient provision for what I need?
  • Am I willing to rest in the certainty that God is strong enough to overcome anything that would come against His plan for me?

This is the question of trust. 

  • Finally, if I am trusting God, why then should I worry or fear?
  • If God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do, shouldn’t I be able to live ever and always in peace and calm assurance?
  • When the rubber meets the road, will I obey God rather than circumstances, feelings or the opposition? 

This is the question of trust.

Lord, I trust you today. I will obey you today. Lord, I will do what you want me to do. I will give up what  you tell me to surrender. Lord, I give you my sins for forgiveness, my heart for infilling, my problems for your Divine answer and my life for your use. Lord, I trust you!

What are you listening to?

I’m curious what are you listening to these days? 

In regards to music, I go back and forth from one style to another. I truly have eclectic taste. But above all I desire for the music to either accompany my times of prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord or remind me of the goodness of God and the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. 

In regards to public figures, I tend to listen to pastors, teachers and even the posthumous voices of those who served the Lord in faith and full surrender. What these people have to say has impacted my life in ways I can barely explain.

In regards to the “voices” that I hear in the inner recesses of my mind, though I hear many swirling and competing messages, I seek daily to tune out the selfish, worldly and wicked voices and tune my heart solely to hear the voice of the Lord, my Creator, Comforter, Healer and Savior.

Of course I can never go wrong listening to the still small voice of the Lord as He speaks by His Spirit through the Word of God and in the middle of my times of prayer, worship and meditation. The voice of the Lord speaks truth, love and light and when I listen it is as if He once again breathes life into my soul. 

I have found that what I listen to greatly affects what I believe, what I think about and in turn my attitudes, actions and reactions. 

Furthermore, it seems that the more I practice listening to the messages of God from His Word and from other people, I find peace, joy, and a sense of value and purpose. And when I listen to the Lord, I find that He has both a plan and provision for today. He gives me light for my path and strength for the journey.

What are you listening to?

I beg of you that you would listen to the Lord Jesus Christ above all the other competing voices and noises in your life.