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Hello Caldwell Baptists!
I’m sure you know by now that October is Pastor Appreciation Month. I am very grateful to God for all of our pastors in the Caldwell Baptist Association. I love pastors. My dad was a pastor and a great model and mentor for me, and I learned so much from him. I sometimes selfishly wish he could come from heaven for a few hours to visit with me and give me some more advice. Most of what he taught me about the call to be a pastor was what I learned by watching him: His faith, his love for people, his disciplined study of God’s word, and his devotion to prayer. He taught me a lot about loving people with God’s “agape” love; that unconditional love with which God loves us. It is my prayer that I live up to God’s standard first and foremost, and also to my dad’s standard as a faithful child of God and a pastor.
The apostle Paul was called by God to be the founding pastor of the early Gentile church. He wore many hats and served God with everything he had. He was a church planter, a missionary, a mentor, an evangelist, and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul was an amazing servant of our Lord, and it wasn’t always easy. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he recounted a lot of the hardships he had suffered, and the persecutions he had endured. He was often hungry and cold. He was falsely arrested and jailed. He was robbed, beaten, stoned, and even bitten by a snake. But he was determined that as long as he was alive he would keep doing what God had called him to do. In Philippians 1:20-21 Paul said, “... according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
True, our pastors in the United States don’t have as rough a life as Paul. But most of the pastors I know hold to the same convictions about faithfully serving the Lord and living according to His word. Our pastors are giving, loving, faithful, and often work far more hours than anyone knows. Our pastors aren’t swimming in money like many may think. Our pastors love you, pray for you, and study hard to teach and preach to you so that you will hopefully grow in your walk with Christ. Our pastors are shepherds who truly care for you, their flock, and are always ready to serve you when you are in need. Do you appreciate your pastor? How do you appreciate your pastor? The best answers are: Pray for him daily. Write him a note telling him how much you appreciate him and the good job he is doing. Include a gift card to a restaurant in your note so he can take his wife out on a date. Did I mention praying for your pastor? Yes, I did, and you should! And one last idea … When you get a chance one Sunday or Wednesday night, ask your pastor to step aside to a quiet place with you and then pray for him.
“Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.” 1 Timothy 5:17
And be joyful!
Brother Chuck
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