October is called "Pastor Appreciation Month."  Appreciating my pastor has always been a joy for me.  My first pastor was married to my mom, and together, in obedience to their Heavenly Father as revealed through the Manual of God's Word, they trained me in the way I should go.  Prayerfully, they set my feet on the path toward the cross of Jesus as they nurtured me toward my own faith experience.  On the day of my baptism, Dad took me into his arms and called me his daughter AND his sister.

 

I still smile when I think about that moment.

 

After I left home for college, I realized that I now must find a new church home and family and be willing to be nurtured by a new pastor.  Thank The Lord, I knew exactly what to look for in a pastor.  

 

The pastors I have appreciated are those who loved God and His Word and preached every word of it without apology.  They have loved their wives.  They have played ball with their children. They have put their family before all other responsibilities as their primary discipleship responsibility and mission field.  They have lived out on the street what they have spoken forth in the pulpit.  They have been there when we needed them and have allowed us to be there for them in their time of need.

 

The Greek word for "pastor" is shepherd.  Jesus was deeply concerned about the lost sheep and the scattered sheep and the following sheep.  Please do not attempt to live life without placing yourself under the authority of a pastor who travels obediently in the flock with The Good Shepherd, The Great Shepherd, The Chief Shepherd, The Shepherd, and Guardian of our Souls  (see John 10:1-16).

 

"I am the good shepherd; I know My own sheep, and they know Me." John 10:14 (HCSB)

 

eThoughts Team -- Week-day Free Devotionals - Vol XI, No. 10-06BB -- Archived

Dr. Nelda Hughes Spinks, Professor Emerita -- Editor/Publisher

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Scripture is taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Copyright 2004 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved.

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