"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" - I Peter 5:8 (NIV).
There is a saying "one black sheep spoils the whole flock"! Of course sheep are normally light; a darker one will upset the whole formation. This saying cannot apply anywhere so true than when one considers how many tend to view Pastors these days. There are undoubtedly rogue Pastors- just as Judas a long time ago penetrated Jesus's inner circle, only to betray him (Luke 22). So, it remains the same today.
However, quite troubling, once these days a Pastor is found to have fallen short of his calling, then a paint brush is used to wipe away the entire vocation. "Look at them all thieves!" The cynics shriek and wave all Pastors away.
Of course we cannot minimise the absurd abuse of the Gospel by those rogue characters who manipulate scriptures for personal gain. Jesus warned his disciples that, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves" (Mathew 7:15). And who has not seen their antics lately, which seem to have no limit.
Yet, while these impostors are there and an ever present danger, we shouldn't ignore the fact that where there is one bad apple there are thousands other good ones. For every rogue Pastor a million more are serving the Lord faithfully and without blemish.
There are countless Pastors out there on the frontline pastoring churches on pitful allowance. Others more are persecuted into hiding especially in those nations where it is a taboo to share the Gospel. Much as those hit characters should not be ignored and indeed shamed, still we cannot afford to imagine that they speak for and represent all!
Another thing also. Because those in the Pastoral ministry are at the center of war against the enemy, Satan, there are not immune to spiritual attacks. Rather, for that very reason, there are constantly under attack from the evil one. Pastors are not made out of iron but flesh just as any of us. They too can fall. Knowing this if we could all purpose to do one thing: how about regularly upholding our Pastors in prayer than joining the bandwagon of finger pointing. Wouldn't we have done well?
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I bring to you all Pastors out there faithfully serving you that you protect them from the enemy and give them strength of spirit and the necessary resources they need to carry on the mission you have called them to, this I pray in Jesus's name.
Related upcoming events
-
19/04/2024 - 20/04/2024 All day“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” ( Isaiah 43:19).
Just before fire was unleashed down on Sodom and Gommorah, Lot was told to pack up with his wife and two daughters and leave their homestead. Now, once out of danger, “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” ( Gen 19:26). Perhaps here we might pause and ask why she was bothered to look back.
Of course it could have been that old “curiosity killed a cat” mistake! Yet, it could also have been Lot’s wife was not sure where she was going and longed for her old life back. This is a common error. There was nothing stirring to look back. Just before Lot’s neighbors had attacked his house eager to rape his visitors. “They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them” ( vv 5). Was there anything worth looking back to!
The case of Lot’s wife could be anyone else’s experience. The Lord has plucked you out of some mess. You have been delivered to a new life. Yet, somehow you decide to look back, as though there was anything good and worth longing for. Sometimes it is a bitter past you have been delivered from. Other than rejoice in your new blessings you keep being drawn back!
A wise caution goes, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly” ( Proverbs 26:11). If the Lord has just led you out of a certain mess why look back like it was much better! Instead look ahead, for “he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” ( vv 17- 18).
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, I thank you for delivering me from the darkness of the past and I look forward to a bright new future in you, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
