God's Accountability Partner

Yesterday I wrote about us as leaders being held accountable by God and by others. But what about God? Who is God accountable to?

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?' 'Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 11:33-36)

God is accountable to no one. He is the creator of all things and in the end every knee will bow before him and every tongue will confess that he is the Lord above all things. I deserve nothing more than spending eternity in hell, but he has given his own blood on the cross so that I might be forgiven and that his glory would be revealed to everyone around me.

God knows what he is doing. Though there are times in ministry that I wonder what he is doing I can stand confident that it is all in his planning. And that gives me comfort.

Who am I accountable to?

"But the thing David had done displeased the LORD." (2 Samuel 11:27)

David made a number of huge mistakes in the sequence of events surrounding Bathsheba. He wasn't away at war like he should have been. If he had been away then he wouldn't have seen Bathsheba taking a bath. If he hadn't seen Bathsheba taking a bath he wouldn't have lusted after her. If he hadn't lusted after her he wouldn't have slept with her. If he wouldn't have slept with her she wouldn't have gotten pregnant. And so on and so on and so on. Isn't it interesting that one mistake by David led to another which led to another which led to another.

My reading this morning is on accountability and this story of David proves the point that those of us in a leadership position should not only be held accountable by those we lead but we will be ultimately by God. It's interesting that I'm more afraid to have those around me hold me accountable rather than God. I know that God is watching me and when I do something against his will I know that he knows and that I will be held accountable for it. So one would think that I wouldn't do it. But when I know that a human being will be asking me questions about my life to hold me accountable I am more liable to stay on the path of righteousness.

So, let me ask you all a question. Why am I more afraid to be held accountable by a human than God?

One would think that being held accountable by the Creator of the universe would be enough deterent. But just like David I too often forget that God is watching. My hope for my life and the lives of those I am leading is that God is always at the center.

Who Is the Apple Full of Worms?

"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." (Proverbs 13:20)

Okay, so how do you know that the individual you see in a leadership role in the church is a "fool." Especially when you are new to the church. There will always be people in a church who seem to have your best in mind, but in reality they only desire to tear you down and see you fail. So, how can we as leaders better know who is the fool and who is wise?

I have heard some stories of pastors who put their trust in some individuals only to find out that when the going gets tough those individuals begin to turn on the pastor. Now, I don't believe their is any type of "smell test" for those individuals who will stink in the future, but as I have mentioned before I think one the of the main focuses we can to avoid this type of individual is to put our total trust in God and not the people around us. What I mean by this is that we need to ask ourselves this question, "Why am I doing this?" The "this" in that question can be ministry in general or a specific type of ministry. But the why should be the most important part of that question. Am I doing this for God's glory, my own glory, to increase the population in the pews, or because someone else wants it done?

"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." How do we know who is wise and who is foolish? There is one test that always works with apples. An apple may look ripe on the outside, but once you take a bite you will know whether the inside is good or full of worms. An individual's character will always come out with time.

Even King David Had His "Loser" Moments

I just finished reading part of the account between King David and his son Absalom. What a sad story. Absalom turns against his father, driving him out of Jerusalem, sleeping with his concubines, and finally attempts to kill David. Once again, this story reveals that even David, a man after God's own heart, had some things to work on. Namely here, his parenting skills.

It seems that often those of us in leadership positions can tend to get a big head. As I mentioned in my last blog we tend to think we can do things better or more efficiently than anyone else an so we go it alone. But even David had his faults. Being in a leadership position such as the pastorate can lead us to put on a mask that hides our faults. We think that if those around us don't see our faults then there won't be any conflict or any issues that will arise and my time in this leadership position will go on without a hitch. But that is a false sense of security. True, we shouldn't lay out our deepest, darkest secret for the whole world to hear about. We shouldn't tell people in the church too much about the struggles in our marriage or family. More than likely that information will come back and bite us in the future. But we can stand firm and speak openly about how we are sinners like everyone around us. It is God that works through a sinner so that His glory is revealed and celebrated.

So, the next time those of us in a leadership position begin to think that God needs us or that we need to put on a mask to hide the fact that we "regenerate sinners" (Paul Veal's words) we can stand firm in the fact that God does not need us. He only chooses to use us to bring Himself the glory. We can stand firm in the fact that everyone knows that we are wearing a mask. Masks only candy coat the reality that we need God and those around us to do ministry. And we can stand firm in the fact that in the end God's will will be done because He is in control. Amen and amen.

The "Solo" Pastor

It's easy in ministry to do it alone. There are many times in ministry that I get a sense that I can do it better myself rather than handing it over to someone else. In other words, I tend to become a "Solo" pastor.

My devotional today was on alliances, both healthy and toxic. It seems obvious that healthy relationships are important, but how many pastors have been bitten by a toxic relationship and so decide to do things alone. They miss the chance to have those healthy relationships because they are afraid to be shoved under the bus once again. Of course, this is all understandable. Been there. Done that. But we as pastors or anyone doing ministry must not forget the old adage, "Two heads are better than one." Sure, maybe John doesn't do a particular task as efficiently as you would, but is efficiency really the goal of ministry?

Proverbs 13:20 reads, "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." God has placed individuals around us with whom we can build healthy relationships. No one can do ministry alone. Being a "solo" pastor can only create more stress for us, but it also prevents those around us from developing their ministry skills. That's not a good thing.

I feel the need to end with a simple but geeky illustration. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and no I don't dress us like Obe Wan. The character Han Solo is named that for a reason. In episode four we are introduced to him as the lone captain of a ship with only one crew member. His life revolves around money and doing things for himself. But by episode six he has become part of a team and he realizes the potential of working with those around him. He may not be as money rich as he desired in the beginning but he is definitely relationship rich by the end.

We cannot do this thing solo. God must be a part of our ministry and the people around us that God has placed there can be used to do greater things for God than we could ever imagine.

Sanctification of Christ

Reading in John 17 this morning I came across a curious verse. John 17:19 reads, "For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." It is amazing that someone who had not need of sanctification would willing take this burden upon himself. To sanctify means to make holy. It makes sense that we, who are not holy, would have the need to be made holy. So, why would Jesus an individual who is already holy have the need to be made holy?

The fact that he would not have to be made holy and yet steps up into the role his Father has for him to be made holy so that we may be holy places the gift of God's salvation even more precious. If you are a believer it is very easy for you to take what Jesus did for granted. Jesus sanctified himself through his road to the cross so that we "too may be truly sanctified." He gave up his life so that I might be with him in eternity. God's love for his glory and for us is more than any of us deserve. His grace and mercy are more than I deserve.

The All-Bible-Knowing, All-Bible-Understanding Pastor

"For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure." (Proverbs 11:14)

In my high school youth group there was one sponsor who seemed to hold my attention completely. I respected her devotion to Christ and there were many times I would go to her for advice. It always seemed that the words from her mouth were exactly what God wanted me to hear at that moment. I honestly believe that without her advice I would not be the person I am today. After eleven years still call her every once in a while to catch up and hear her advice on life.

Now that I am older and in full-time ministry it seems that I have lost that need for advice. Well, at least it seems that I must put on the facade of not needing advice. I remember one professor in seminary telling the class that when we graduate we will be considered experts on the Bible. That statement in itself is a self-fulfilling prophecy. As a pastor I have put up a wall that only other pastors may enter, but is that enough? Do I need to put up a mask of an all-Bible-knowing, all-Bible-understanding pastor in order to do ministry?

Proverbs clearly states that we need to reveal our humanness to those around us. There is a limit, of course, but we can bring trustworthy, Godly people into our life to help us to follow the will of God more intimately and glorify Him abundantly. David did not hesitate to listen to those around him who were trustworthy. Are we better than David that we can go things alone? If a man after God's own heart revealed to others the reality that he didn't know everything than why can't we as pastors?

I find that it is very easy to show my humanness. The difficult thing is to put the mask on and become something I am not, perfect.

Is it Really My Problem?

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." (Psalm 23:1-3)

This morning I read a quote by Fred Smith which reads, "A problem is something I can do something about. If I can't do anything about it, it isn't my problem." In ministry we can tend to put everything on our shoulders. If the service doesn't go well we blame ourselves. If the kids seem to not be learning their Bible stories it's our fault. If 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work we tend to feel that we need to work harder. Many times we place the blame on ourselves and when the "problem" doesn't get fixed right away we can feel like a failure. But is it really my fault? Sometimes things happen in our lives that we have no control over. We need to recognize those things.

With God as our shepherd we won't be in want. Now remember, this is much different than need. God will provide all our needs and because our hearts are focused on Him we won't be in want. He gives us peace beyond imagination. Even when life seems to be going down the drain, when we are facing God His peace can still overwhelm us. And my favorite part of this passage, He will guide us throughout life for "his name's sake." We can't live our life for ourselves. We will never be fully satisfied. But when we live for God it's His name that is glorified.

When things come into our life that we cannot change we can't get stress out about them. If we can't change them they aren't our problem. But God can change them so let Him take care of them. He's better at it than us anyway.

God's Non-answer to Answered Prayer

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

I have read this passage many times in my short life, but as I read it today have I noticed something new. There are many times in our life when stressful situation rise or when we create our own stress. Bad things will happen, but in this passage Paul tries to help us understand that we can avoid these stresses by going directly to God.

I have always known that God can handle my stress, but what I found interesting is what is between verses six and seven. Or at least what is inferred. Right after Paul writes "present your requests to God" he goes into a statement of how the peace of God will "guard your hearts and your minds." Notice that Paul does not write, "And God will answer that prayer to your satisfaction." In this passage Paul seems to not care what the answer of our prayer will be. It could be "yes" or "no" or nothing at all. But what is clear is that the answer is not the important issue. The important issue is our obedience to God through his non-answer to our answered prayer. Ask yourself, "Am I willing to go to God with this for peace even though the answer may not be what I want?" If your answer is yes then God's non-answer is an answer after all.

Is Ministry a Chore?

There are moments in doing ministry that I feel everything I do is for nothing. What is the point of doing ministry when it seems that all I receive back from ministry is stress?

I have not been in full-time ministry for long. Perhaps at most just over three years. And one thing that I have learned is that ministry can become a chore. It is very easy for us as pastors to get caught up in the "doing" of ministry and forget to "live" ministry. Did God create work for man in order to cause stress in man's life? I think not. "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it" (Genesis 2:15). From the beginning God saw it as good for the man to work. That work did not become a chore until man made it a chore.

Ecclesiastes 2:17-27 gives an example of viewing work as a chore or as a joy. Yes, we as pastors have a vocation in ministry, but does that vocation have to be a chore or do we make it a chore? In my opinion, we make it a chore just as Adam did in the Garden. Pastors have an opportunity to serve God through our work. The joy is not in the work, but who we are doing the work for.

Next time something in ministry comes up that is tedious (such as making phone calls or planning the next few service orders or talking for a hour with someone while your sermon needs to be finished, etc.) remember that God calls us to be faithful and obey his call to show his glory to others, not spend 30 hours a week on administrative things. Our vocation should not be a chore. If it is then perhaps we need to change our point of view. Work for the glory of God, not the glory of man. In that you will find the ultimate satisfaction. (Even when we are doing tedious things.)