I have been sharing the Top Ten Things Every Pastor Wished Their Congregation Knew, but Was Afraid to Tell Them. Here is number 5:
You are the source of my greatest joy and my greatest
frustration. Give me the privilege of seeing you growing and ministering. –
1Thess 2.19-20
1 Thessalonians 2:19 the Apostle Paul wrote to the
Thessalonian believers, “What is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before
our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.”
There is nothing that makes a pastor happier than seeing those he has
ministered to flourishing in their faith. We pray for you. We agonize with you
in your hurts and losses. We yearn for you to know God’s peace, comfort, and
strength. You will likely never know how much your pastor desires to see you growing
in your faith. That is his dream. That is his hope. That is everything he works
for. As Paul said, “you are our glory and joy.”
But you can also be our greatest source of discouragement. When we work hard to prepare a sermon and you can’t stay awake to hear it, when we pray and agonize over a message and you decide that Sunday morning is the best time to go fishing, when you counsel with people and pray desperately for them, only to see them walk away unchanged, that breaks our heart. Often my prayer is, Lord, give me the privilege of seeing some of the fruit of my labor. As a pastor, You are the source of my greatest joy and my greatest frustration. Give me the privilege of seeing you growing and ministering in your faith.
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