FOR PASTORS, ON MONDAY
from PreachingToday.com
“The Magnificent Defeat”
“So Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him.” Oh, make no mistake, he was no mere man. Buechner called that struggle Jacob’s “magnificent defeat” – or was it the Wrestler who was defeated? Here’s this week’s column from PreachingToday.com.
God Plays Favorites
Jacob is the Bible’s “Everyman.” He is the first Israel. And he is us. One thing this failure-prone figure proves is that God plays favorites. When God plays favorites we call it grace.
Pockets Full of Grace
Peter described Jesus’ earthly ministry this way: “He went about doing good.” Don’t you find that sometimes we’re so consumed with just doing stuff that we forget we’re entitled and empowered to “go about doing good”?
Pastors Go First
Pastors don’t have to always be upbeat, thank goodness, but we must be living displays of hope in Christ, hope here and now, and hope hereafter. We must be heavenly minded if we are to be of any earthly good. When David prayed for God’s protection in Psalm 16 he described the parapets of his security…
Among the Immortals
Sometimes, trying to quiet our fears is like trying to tuck an octopus into bed. How many nights have you tried to sleep all tangled in your worries about the church, your family, your finances, or your own well-being? We need to know how to pray in those times because they won’t let go of us unless we do. We won’t be able to sing, “It is well with my soul,” without prayer. It’s always true, but you can’t always sing it.
Catalytic Converters
I used to tell my pastoral counseling students, “Your people will come to you for counsel about marriage, kids, jobs, decisions—all kinds of things, but almost no one will ever ask you to help them with their souls. Don’t let that throw you off. It’s always about their souls.” So it is when we seek God’s counsel. God always starts with our souls.