I am convinced that one of the most difficult lively hoods today, is the life of a Pastor. I have seen in my life some great Men of God that have stood in the gap and taken a stand for what is right, as well as taken a stand against that which is wrong. Being a Pastor is a public position. Everything that you do is under a microscope. Every word that you say is dissected and looked at under every possible light, and yet your words are not always heard by those who need them most. In the last few years, as I've paid more attention to Pastors that I've come in contact with, I've seen more and more attacks go their way. This does break my heart, but this also comes with the territory. As Pastors, God has put them in a local church to be the man that stands to proclaim every word of the Lord. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." This was written to a young pastor... He is called upon the be ready always to preach and proclaim the Word of God. He's to do this when it popular and when it's not popular. He is to reprove: to be the one to correct when things are not done right. He is to rebuke: to express disapproval when things are done wrong. He is to exhort: to advise and to urge those in the faith to do what is good and holy in the eyes of God. These sound harsh on the surface, BUT he is to all these with longsuffering, that is great patience, and with doctrine, that is the Word of God. It is the responsibility of the Pastor to be the one who proclaims God's Word, and that is not a very popular thing to do anymore. Because the Pastor is called by God to do these things he is attacked harder by Satan than the majority of the people he pastors. If Satan can cause the Pastor to fail then he causes an entire congregation to stumble...
As of right now I am not a Pastor. God called me to preach His Word so as His Preacher I will strive to follow 2 Timothy 4:2, but I never want to forget my Pastor. I'm convinced that he spends hours in prayer for me and my family each week. He is fighting a spiritual battle for me by calling for God to help and protect me, and I know that your Pastor is doing the same for you!!! God has placed in me the desire to pastor a church, but even when that day comes may I never forget to pray for MY Pastor! God has given me a GREAT Pastor, and I need to show my thankfulness by praying for him and lifting him up before God daily! Let us be careful what we say about God's Man. Make sure the things that we say are uplifting and make sure that we are lifting him up to God in prayer! Have you prayed for your pastor today? I bet he's prayed for you...
