Monday, October 2, 2017

A Pastor's Prayer

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!
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!


[1] Title Image: Courtesy:  Pixabay.com
[2][2] Paul’s first letter to his protégé Timothy bears this out

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