A WORD FOR TODAY, April 14, 2023
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, April 14, 2023
“Remember your leaders, men who spoke to you the word of God, and considering the results of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:7-8, WEB
Many churches, including ours, are in the process of calling a new pastor. There is a meme that floats around, author unknown, about the ridiculous expectations we have for our pastors. It is a humorous confidential report on a call committee’s impressions of several pastoral candidates being considered for the position. Among the names on the list were the greatest witnesses to God’s love in the Old and New Testament; nearly all were turned down for one reason or another. Noah couldn’t convert anyone and had unrealistic building goals. David was a strong leader but had an affair. Jonah told some strange story about getting swallowed by a fish that later spit him out. Paul was short on tact; he was harsh and longwinded. “He has a questionable attitude toward women, if you know what I mean.”
This email is very humorous as it looks at the people that God chose and used throughout His-story, recorded in the bible. Each one has questionable aspects about their personality and their past that would make us doubt their ability to lead and preach. Yet, God found value in their weaknesses to work for His good and perfect purpose. This email even lists Jesus as a possibility. “Has had popular times, but once his church grew to 5000 he managed to offend them all, and then this church dwindled down to twelve people. Seldom stays in one place very long. And, of course, he’s single.” Amazing how we can even see negative aspects in the life of our Lord.
The funniest part of the email is that Judas gets a good report. “Judas: His references are solid. A steady plodder. Conservative. Good connections. Knows how to handle money. We’re inviting him to preach this Sunday. Possibilities here.”
Our human understanding of what is important is often far off center from God’s. God is calling people to share the Gospel, to live in a way that glorifies our Lord Jesus Christ in this world. Noah was obedient, even when the task seemed ridiculous and impossible. David sought God’s will. Though Jonah at first ran from the Lord, he was gifted by God to turn a whole nation to repentance. Paul laid a solid foundation of doctrine for the Church today, his testimony about the power of God through Jesus Christ and his letters to the church keep us focused on our Savior and His purpose for our lives.
We live in a more transient world today. Even our pastors move from place to place, rarely staying in one community for more than a few years. As we consider those who have been chosen to guide and encourage our Christian walk, let us always remember that Christ died for their failures, just like ours, and let us always look for God’s gifts rather than our expectations. God hasn’t changed the way He does business. He still chooses people who are imperfect according to our expectations. We can easily look at each of our ministers, pastors, or priests and find fault in the way they live and work. However, God has blessed each of them with gifts with which they share the Gospel of Christ. We should remember them in prayer and give thanks to God for sending them our way.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org