Monday, October
2, 2017
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that
you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really
matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of
Christ’s return. May you always be
filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in
your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:9-11(NLT)
Paul may
have been an apostle and itinerant evangelist, but at his base, deep down, God
had turned him into a pastor.
That’s no
small thing. I often think about the
pains the Lord has been through turning me into a pastor.
I’ve spent
a lot of years, most of my life, trying to know what it means to be a good follower
of Jesus, and a pastor who fulfills that calling. What I’ve learned in all that time is that the measure of a pastor is tied more to
his actions than his words.
And I
believe there are actually only two
actions separating the genuine pastor from the false, both of which
never make the evening news:
·
an
act of care for one of the flock which is only known in heaven, and…
·
the pastor’s
prayer life.
This is
easily seen in the life of Paul. Check
out the circumstances under which Paul wrote to his beloved church at Philippi. Paul was in Prison, and the only item on his
calendar was a date with the executioner.
In those last days before Paul’s retirement from earthly ministry he
took the opportunity to utter this pastoral prayer. He was lifting God’s people up before the
throne of Heaven, asking God that their knowledge and understanding of God’s
ways would increase, so the actions of their lives would reflect what Paul knew
was stamped on their hearts – the pure, righteous character of Jesus Christ. Like a father blessing his children, Paul
wanted nothing more than a blossom of praise to God to be the result of having
invested his life and ministry with the Philippian believers.
In this
prayer, and throughout the letter to the Philippian church, Paul asked nothing
for himself in the way of creature comforts.
Paul was human, and therefore had needs like anyone else. But the apostle had learned the art of
contentment. If he had much, he was
satisfied; if his supply was sparse, he was satisfied. If people hated him, he was humble; if they
praised him, he passed on the praise to Christ[2]. The only matter of real importance was seeing
others grow up in Christ, that they be filled with Christ’s character and God receiving
all the glory from it.
This is the
measure of a pastor’s heart.
And I wish
I could bottle it and sprinkle it on anyone called to ministry.
For You Today
Did you
notice anything missing in what we’ve described as a “pastor’s prayer”?
It should
really be a “Christian’s prayer” – the call to living the Christian life is the
same for every believer and follower of Jesus Christ – a life dedicated to
loving and serving others, building-up the body, so that the fruit of our
common salvation abounds and God the Father is praised!
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