Good um, Saturday morning! Sorry, some days I have to think a bit to recall which day of the week it is. I met Jack Harris at the Thanksgiving feasting and he made the mistake of admitting that he didn't always read the entire devotional. Excellent! Now all the bad rumors we need to pass along about Jack we can do in the second or third paragraph of the devotional. Be sure to send the gossip tidbits to me before 0600, as I sometimes get up and write early. :-)
To-do list for Saturday.
1. Encourage Jack to read the entire devotional. Done!
Encouragement, we know it is our duty to our brothers and sisters in Christ, but sometimes we might be tempted to use underhanded methods. We might want a friend to show up for a lunch date, and over the years we learn that the best way to make sure the friend shows up is to invite his wife... and then do our best to stifle the rumors when only his wife shows up dressed in her best outfit. Oops! Sometimes our clever methods can backfire. If any of the gentlemen are looking at their spouses with a raised eyebrow at the moment - stop it! The preceding was an example, not the story of an experience.
2. Encourage marital suspicion. Done...unfortunately.
Encouragement, we all need it from time to time; who is best equipped to provide it? The pastor of course! We all look to our pastor to provide encouragement, but where does his come from? We tend to assume that all pastors are receiving all the encouragement they need from God. We also tend to assume that pastors have conquered sin in this life; they're pastors right?! Both assumptions would be wrong, and if we search our messages from the Holy Spirit, (you know the ones that we tried to ignore) we will find a few encouraging us to pray for and encourage our pastors. A call to the ministry does not end all addictions, temptations, habits, and any other thing that all Christians struggle with; in fact, the call to minister might just add a few new ones.
The worst reaction to a pastoral scandal is the shock that most people express, as though their pastor was some kind of superhuman and they can't imagine a fall. We all depend upon the Holy Spirit to show us the way to fight or flee from temptations; that includes the pastor too. Did you ever stop to think that the scandals of the pulpit we have heard about from time to time are also tests of the church? Yes, that pastor may have failed in a test, but without forgiveness, the church did too. A church congregation who thinks their pastor is perfect, probably thinks somewhere deep down that they are the perfect congregation as well. Pride, it's a killer!
3. Encourage a wary eye on the pastor. Done...sigh! I'm going the wrong way here today.
Encouragement, the Holy Spirit gives it to us for the asking. Sometimes we fail to ask for it. In all the struggles in this life; temptation, trial, suffering, enduring, and learning, we look to the Lord to guide us. However, we have been told in the Bible that those who seek shall find and those who knock will find a door opened (paraphrasing a bit there). When it comes to the strength and encouragement we can receive from the Holy Spirit, we often neither seek nor knock on the door. We always have the freedom to go it alone; one day we will figure out that never works. At least, I hope I figure that out someday.
4. Encourage suspicion of the writer of this devotional. Done...better stop before this all goes south!
We can pray for encouragement for ourselves, and we can pray for encouragement for others too! Try it, and enjoy the results. Encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ! Some of us will be better at encouraging than others, encouragement is a gift from God and a gift of faith that some will be quite good at performing. As you can see from the above paragraphs, my talent may be suspect in this area, or it may be just some Saturday clowning. I'll let you decide! :-)
Have a great weekend, and trust in God!
Bucky
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