What I Owe My Pastor

We owe a lot to them.
Such as…

• Respect. I owe my pastor respect as the ambassador of
God sent to teach me a better way of living.

• Affection. I owe my pastor affection, that he/she may
be strengthened by the knowledge that the members of
the church he is trying to serve are knit with him in the
bonds of holy love and unity.

• Trust. I owe my pastor trust, that he/she may be free
to serve the church unhampered by criticism and faultfinding.

• Prayer. I owe it to my pastor to pray for him/her each
day that God may bless him/her and make his/her service
a blessing to everyone with whom he/she comes in
contact.

• Protection. I owe to my pastor the protection of kindly
silence by refraining from repeating the slander or
unkind gossip that would burden him/her and prevent
him/her from doing his/her best work.

• Time. I owe my pastor enough of my time to help him/
her in his/her work, when and where he/she needs me.

• Encouragement. I owe my pastor encouragement
when vexations and annoyances make his/her work difficult,
or when he/she feels that his/her work is not
progressing as it should.

• Appreciation. I owe my pastor a kindly word of appreciation
when his/her sermons are especially helpful to me.

• Attention. I owe my pastor the courtesy of attention
when I go to church that he/she may not be annoyed
and troubled by seeing from my careless, inattentive actions
that he/she is not holding my interest.

• Love. I owe it to my pastor to overlook any trivial flaw
or personal peculiarity that is merely a mannerism of
speech or action and in no way hinders his/her work.

• Gratitude. I owe it to my pastor to remember gratefully
the many times he/she has helped me to bear some trial,
and the precious outpouring of his/her sympathy that
strengthened and helped me when some loved one entered the valley of the shadow.

I found this online in an old church news letter and thought about the wisdom found within it.


Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.