“But we request of you, brethren that you appreciate those
who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the LORD and give
you instruction and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their
work.” I Thessalonians 5:12, 13 (NASB)
We are to respect our pastor and his family for the
countless value they are to the church and also to the community.
The flock is to know their pastor well enough to have an
intimate appreciation of the many hours and sacrifice’s he makes to pastor and
to spiritually nurture each of his sheep.
No one but God knows how many hours our pastor studies the WORD and
prays for his flock. There are many
nights he is awakened in the wee hours of the morning with a heavy burden on
his heart to pray and intercede for a church member or a member of the
community.
His work in God’s chosen vineyard for him and his family is
continually laboring and working sometimes to the point of exhaustion; he is
“on call 24/7”. He stands before his
flock to lead them in the way of righteousness, and instructing them in the
truths of God’s WORD.
The pastor’s calling is from the Throne Room of God, and
there is no backing out if the going gets tough. That is why the prayer warriors of each
church are to hold their pastor and his family on their priority list of
prayer. Satan is always out to try to
make a pastor slip and fall, because the world is always watching and looking
for something to use against the church.
Please never, never let a day go by that you do not pray and intercede
for your pastor and his family. Just as
Aaron and Hur held up the hands of Moses in a great battle against the enemy,
so that a great victory would be won, we must hold our pastor’s hands up through prayer and
fasting. He cannot do it alone but must have all his sheep holding him up to God
for strength and guidance.
In addition to knowing our pastor well and to remember to
pray for him and his wife and family daily.
(Not just an “I lay me down to sleep, oh yeah, Lord remember my pastor,
I’m sure he had to do a little something or other today for the church.) But to
earnestly, wholeheartedly, shed some Holy Ghost felt tears for the heavy burden
he carries for each of his sheep. A true
pastor feels responsible for the welfare and well being and the salvation of
each one of us.
We are to esteem our pastor highly as a true servant, called
by God. Congregations are to think
rightly and lovingly of their pastors. Not because of their charm or
personality or preciousness, but because of the fact that they work for the
Chief Shepherd as His special shepherd to his flock of sheep that God has
entrusted to him..
This Pastor Appreciation post is dedicated to my
Pastor, Dr. Thomas Batts and his wife Lynda, and their son Todd, who are Pastor’s of Welcome
Assembly of God Church in Dellwood, FL (just down the
road from Two Egg, FL.)
We are having Pastor Appreciation Day service this Sunday,
September 22, with a lunch after the am service. If you live close please come
and share the lovely service and the lunch after, come and bring lots of your
favorite foods to share.
Love and Blessings Gloria (one of my Pastor’s fat happy
sheep)
4 comments:
I am so glad you wrote this to honor pastors. And it's true that they spend a lot of time laboring for their flock. Remembering to pray for them is a powerful thing. They definitely need prayer coverage for I know they are always under attack. BUT GOD...
As a former pastor's wife - almost 50 years, I appreciate this post so much. Makes me think of what a kid asked him many years ago when he was a young pastor, he wanted to know what his real job was. We still laugh about that. Some think it is just a Sunday thing, but it is a 24/7 thing for sure. I wouldn't change those years for the world though. So many blessings.
I want to thank you for answering the email you got as a result of linking on Spiritual Sundays. It made my day.
Blessings,
Charlotte
I totally agree! I was a pastor's assistant for many years and I was able to see first hand how much selfless work they do...Everyone wants something from the pastor and as a result, he can become exhausted and discouraged. Prayer for him in all areas of his life is crucial! Thanks for posting this as a great reminder to keep our pastors covered in prayer!
Blessings, Joan
P.S. Thanks for linking up today at Sharing His Beauty -- I'm glad the link worked!!
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