1 Samuel 12:1-5 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. (2) And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. (3) Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. (4) And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. (5) And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
As I read this and thought about the life of Samuel, I wondered in my heart, "Will I be able to say the same thing when my life is near it's end?" I am afraid that there are fewer and fewer preachers who could stand before their people with confidence today and ask the same question to their congregation.
So many men view their church work these days as a business, and not a ministry. While many preachers will get up and chastize the people for only considering what they can get out of a church and not what they can give to it, these same preachers are just as guilty of it themselves. And all this does is put a black eye on all of Christianity.
These kind of pastors always have one ear to the ground listening for the next church opening that has a larger congregation and a bigger salary; these kind of missionaries only choose and go to the "large church" to try and guarantee their support; and these kind of evangelist are more concerned with the love offering and notoriety than they are helping people.
Praise God not all men are this way, and God has allowed me to be friends with so many pastors, missionaries, and evangelist who have a genuine love for the Lord and seek to glorify God in all that they do.
Let each and every one of us, whether we are in full-time ministry or not, live our life in such a way that one day we can stand like Samuel and ask the same question he did and not be ashamed of the answer that comes back.
As I read this and thought about the life of Samuel, I wondered in my heart, "Will I be able to say the same thing when my life is near it's end?" I am afraid that there are fewer and fewer preachers who could stand before their people with confidence today and ask the same question to their congregation.
So many men view their church work these days as a business, and not a ministry. While many preachers will get up and chastize the people for only considering what they can get out of a church and not what they can give to it, these same preachers are just as guilty of it themselves. And all this does is put a black eye on all of Christianity.
These kind of pastors always have one ear to the ground listening for the next church opening that has a larger congregation and a bigger salary; these kind of missionaries only choose and go to the "large church" to try and guarantee their support; and these kind of evangelist are more concerned with the love offering and notoriety than they are helping people.
Praise God not all men are this way, and God has allowed me to be friends with so many pastors, missionaries, and evangelist who have a genuine love for the Lord and seek to glorify God in all that they do.
Let each and every one of us, whether we are in full-time ministry or not, live our life in such a way that one day we can stand like Samuel and ask the same question he did and not be ashamed of the answer that comes back.
I am so grateful for the church I attend, it's Pastor, and the young men who have served as our Youth Pastors. They have been open and above board in secular dealings as with spiritual. Thank God for men such as these in the ministry.
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