Friday, October 26, 2012

It’s Good Work

“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop he desires a good work.” 1 Timothy 3:1, NKJV

Did you know that the month of October is “Pastors Appreciation Month”? With that in mind, today’s devotional is a shout out to our pastor friends around the country and around the world. We appreciate who you are and what you do, it’s good work.

After graduating from Bible School we met with one of our instructors for some counsel as we sought God’s will for our future. We had some options facing us to either stay in the business world or pursue a future in ministry. This seasoned minister listened to us share our story and then asked a question that would change our lives forever. He asked, “If success were a guarantee, and money wasn’t an issue what would you want to do?” Immediately the answer came out of me, “No question about it I’d be a pastor, but doesn’t everybody?” He smiled and then politely said, “No, actually NORMAL people would never want to be a pastor.”

Well, that explains a lot. It must be the reason that I have a deep love for pastors-- all pastors, especially those who’ve been serving for decades.  Whether you’re the lead dog or you serve as a staff pastor in a church, you need to know that God sees what you do as good work, even though you are probably far from normal. In fact, there is nothing normal about what you do. Let’s think about it for a minute.

Normal people go to work for the money-- you go to work for one reason alone-- obedience. There’s no plan B for you. You’re called, you’re compelled, you’re committed and you’re a bit crazy because there is no guarantee that you are ever going to be paid well to do it. Actually you’ll spend your entire career apologizing for the little money that you do make.

You don’t have normal hours. You are expected to work 24-7-365 because when your people need you they need you NOW. Honestly most of them wonder what in the world you do all week long, because they only see you speak for a few minutes on the weekend. But, you run the daily business of the church, you manage your staff and volunteers, yet you set all that aside when an emergency happens. And emergencies happen all the time, because life happens all the time. And then, once your normal work week is done, you are expected to bring a fresh, God inspired message full of life, power and the Holy Spirit each and every weekend. So, no matter what you are doing throughout the week you always have that voice in the back of your mind saying, “Sunday’s coming....Sunday’s coming.”

You are not allowed to have normal expectations. You are expected to be an outstanding visionary, an eloquent communicator, a savvy fund-raiser, and a counselor’s-counselor. You need to be an MBA, a CPA, have a PHD, all the while you’re trying to hide the fact that you’re a little ADHD. You are expected to be the model spouse, the perfect parent of perfect children, and on top of that you need make time to be everyone’s friend. “Hey Pastor, what’s your cell number, let’s text, let’s have coffee, why didn’t you answer me right away on Facebook, where do you live, can I stop by?” Are you getting my drift here?

The criticism you receive isn’t normal. You get criticized for having vision, for bringing change, for not talking enough or for talking too much, or even for saying what needs to be said. You are criticized for making a decision and then criticized for not making a decision. You are criticized for being too spiritual and you are criticized for not being spiritual enough. But you’ve gotten used to it because you are the point person-- you’ve learned to take the punches and protect your family, your staff and volunteers from the cruelty of people who say the most hurtful things.

Your disappointments in life are not normal. You’ve been hurt deeply by the very people that you’ve been called to serve. Hurts that you have to keep between you and God because normal people won’t understand. You’ve poured your life into folks, got them back on their feet, healthy and whole and headed in the right direction only to have them tell you that God is “moving” them to another church. You’ve learned to smile and hide those hurts, you’ve learned to have tough skin while keeping a tender heart. You’ve learned to play hurt.

But pastor you need to know that all though you are not normal, you are incredibly special to God and the church family He has called you to serve. You have been graced by God to love His people the way He does. To be there for them through the highs and lows of life. To lead them and to feed them, and to produce fruit in their lives that will remain forever. You do something that normal people can’t do. So I want to thank you for answering the call. Thank you for those late nights in the emergency room and for those early morning counseling sessions over a cup of coffee. Thank you for laying your life down for the sheep. We appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. Because what you do really does matters, what you do is good work.

Say It: “Father, I thank you for our pastors. God we ask You to help all of them know how pleased You are with them and the good work they do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!”

Friday, October 19, 2012

By the Hand


"Father’s, don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.” Ephesians 6:4, The Message

One of the greatest and most rewarding responsibilities that any of us can have is that of a parent. Beth and I love what we do as pastors, we love our church, we love our calling, but way above all of that, we love being parents. What an awesome opportunity God has given us to lead our kids in the way of the Master.

I first learned today’s text in the King James version, which tells parents and particularly Dad’s what our role as parents should be-- “but bring them (our kids) up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Let’s take a look at those words, nurture and admonition.

#1 Nurture - To nurture is simply to teach, to train and to coach our kids by our actions. Our actions speak way louder than our words. We can’t expect to raise balanced kids if our words and our actions are out of balance. We need to be the real thing in front of our kids. If we want our kids to be loving, than we need to be loving. If we want our kids to be forgiving, then we need to be forgiving. If we want our kids to be generous, than we need to be generous. The list goes on and on, but I think you get the picture.

#2 Admonition - It’s one of those words that has a couple of different meanings, but the one I like is: to give friendly, earnest advice or encouragement. I think we all get that our kids need to be taught and coached, but we need to remember that the words we speak to them and over them, have a huge affect on how they see themselves. Our words can either motivate or demotivate. They can encourage or discourage. They can build our kids up or they can tear them down. And words are like bullets in a gun, once you pull the trigger it’s too late to stop them.

So let’s take a quick inventory of our life as parents.... Are your actions lining up with your words? Are your kids seeing you being the kind of person that you are asking them to be? What are you saying to your kids and about your kids? Sometimes it’s easier to pick out the things that your kids are doing wrong, rather than intentionally looking for what they are doing right. Let them know how proud you are of them and how much they mean to you. Your words of admonition can help guide them for years to come.

Right actions mixed with right words produce great kids. So take those kids by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master. You won’t regret it.

Say It: “Father, I thank You for my kids and appreciate Your guidance as I bring them up in the nurture and admonition of You. Help me to be a great example of someone who has submitted their life to You. I pray that my words and my actions both say the same thing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Right actions mixed with right words produce great kids. @jrjones

Friday, October 12, 2012

How Bad Do You Want It?


"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, where he has enough to finish it?" Luke 14:28, NKJV

Ask yourself the questions, “How bad do I want to succeed? How bad do I want to fulfill God’s will and God’s purpose in my life?” In Luke 14:28, Jesus wasn’t just talking about a physical building, He was talking about counting the cost of building a life of significance.

It seems like many of us aren’t willing to admit that the reason we didn’t make the team, get that promotion, and the reason that we aren’t moving forward in life is that we aren’t willing to put forth the effort and do the hard stuff. Doing the hard stuff means that there are times when everyone else has gone home that we stay after hours and get our work done. How hard are you willing to work at life? Here’s something to consider—No one is going to work harder for your success than you are. Not your boss, not your peers and certainly not those who work for you. It reminds me of an old saying, “If it’s going to be, then it’s up to me.” Now I am not discounting God in all of this, but really, do we think God’s going to work harder at our success than we are? Do you think He’s standing up there in Heaven waiting to come down here and help you out because you’re a little tired? He’s the Redeemer of the lost, not the Rescuer of the lazy. Come on now; let’s count the cost!

If we’re ever going to fulfill God’s will for our lives then we need to count the cost. Have you figured out yet that living for Jesus is going to cost you something? And if you’re going to be a success in life it’s going to cost you even more? Jim Morin, a dear member of our church family, once said, “Everything that I value in my life, has cost me something.” It reminds me of that verse in Galatians 6:7 (NKJV), “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” In other words, whatever we put into life will cost us something; but there is a payback, a reaping based on the degree of our efforts.

My wife, Beth, is by far the hardest working person that I have ever known, and I know a lot of people. There may be people out there that want to enjoy the benefits that Beth enjoys, but they don’t have a clue of how hard she has worked over so many years. Literally, it’s quite common for her to work 16-18 hour days for weeks and months on end. Now that costs something, but the benefit is a very successful and fruitful life. She’s reaping today because she was willing to count the cost and do the hard stuff, even when she didn’t feel like it.

So today, let’s tap into all that God has for us and work a little harder, stay a little later, carry a little more of the load, and honor Jesus Christ by our work ethic and our willingness to do the hard things.

Say It: “Father, I want to make a difference with my life. I’m committed to counting the cost and doing the hard things. I ask You to give me wisdom, insight and strategy to not only work hard, but to work smart. May my life glorify You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!”

If we’re ever going to fulfill God’s will for our lives then we need to count the cost. @jrjones

Friday, October 5, 2012

No Strings Attached


When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’" Matthew 3:16-17, NKJV

I love the timing of the words that God spoke over His Son Jesus as He was being baptized. Jesus had yet to perform a single miracle. He hadn’t turned water into wine. He hadn’t walked on water. He hadn’t healed a single person, nor spent one second in public ministry. He was just God’s son and that alone pleased His Father.

Did you know that God sees you the exact same way? You are a wonderfully designed creation of the Great Almighty and He is well pleased with you. You can’t do anything to earn God’s love, nor do anything to lose it. He just flat out loves you. Let that sink in for a minute, it will warm your soul. We so often connect some kind of behavior or human effort to receiving God’s affection, but actually it’s not tied to anything we do. He just loves us with no strings attached.

So today, just relax and know that you are loved by God. It’s that knowledge that helps us return that affection back toward Him.

“We love Him, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19, NKJV)

Wow, isn’t that awesome? God is reminding us that we don’t have to manufacture a love for Him, we can simply reflect the love He has for us back to Him. So enjoy your day and walk in the security that God loves you with no strings attached. Let His words, “this is my beloved son (or daughter) in whom I am well pleased” ring in your ears, and satisfy your heart.

“Father, thank you for loving me for who I am. I appreciate the security that I feel in my heart knowing that I don’t need to do anything to earn Your love. And because of it I choose to direct my affection back towards You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!”