CARE AND FEEDING OF THE FLOCK -- Devotional for August 1, from "Good Seeds"

Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. (I Samuel 12:23)

A good friend of mine is a pastor’s widow. She and her husband served the Lord faithfully in several churches. He never retired, but just kept preaching and pastoring until the Lord took him home. Recently she told me of a neighbor of hers who, knowing nothing of her personal history, proceeded to lambaste the church in general and pastors in particular – men, he says, who are too lazy or inept to hold a normal job, so they make their living by living off of weak and gullible people. When she told me this it made me think of my own life and career, for I, too, have never really held what some might call a regular job. My whole life has been dedicated to shepherding sheep. I started out as a schoolteacher, feeding little ones the knowledge and leading them into acquiring the skills necessary to find their own way through life. But after eleven years as an educator, I went to seminary for more training and eventually became a pastor. I’m still a shepherd, but now I work beyond the mind toward a focus on the heart and soul of those under my charge. I would be devastated to be characterized as one who “preys upon” people, for my chief job and joy is rather to “pray for” my people. It is a heinous sin indeed when a pastor takes advantage of his sheep, milking them of their resources and self-respect, for the sake of his own personal gain. But one of the earliest and best pastors of all time, Samuel, described the greatest evil of a pastor in another way: “God forbid!” he said, “that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.” The job description of the pastor is twofold: FIRST, he is a priest, who speaks to God on behalf of the people. But in order to accurately and effectively pray for his people, a pastor must first know them, and genuinely love them. The Bible says, “The Good Shepherd calls His own sheep by name” (John 10:3). To know someone, his name is where you start, for a name represents character – his strengths and flaws, and history – his hurts and hopes. Although in the real world the more we know about someone the less we tend to like him, in the Christian world that knowledge leads to greater compassion and love for him, and fires us up to pray all the harder and better for him. The SECOND function of a pastor is that of a prophet, who speaks to the people on behalf of God. When Samuel said, “I will teach you in the good and right way,” he was saying that after praying for the people God often gives him insights from His Word that can be part of the answer to those prayers. So, is the pastorate a people-abusing non-job, or is it the most noble work in the world, of partnering with God in the care and feeding of His flock?