Pastor Appreciation Month

I Peter 5:1-4:To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed:Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Today is the last Sunday of October, which is Pastor Appreciation Month. The job of a pastor is many. What most people see is the preaching/teaching of the Word on Sunday mornings. That is the visible side. What about the less visible side? The counseling side where the pastor meets one-on-one, the labor side where the pastor fixes roofs, floors, dishwashers, etc… The community side where the pastor meets with other pastors to plan community events. The wedding/funeral side where the pastor meets with the families. The study side where time is spent reading, listening, studying God’s Word. The prayer side where time is spent in prayer with God.

The hats a pastor wears is many. I pray you lift your pastor up in prayer every day. This pastor has a calling on his life to teach God’s Word, to shepherd the flock. He prays for you every day. Carries burdens only he knows about, knowing he not only will one day stand before God for himself but also for you. This pastor loves God, loves you, and is in it for no other reason than to serve God.

Titus 1:6-9: An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.  Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.  He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.