A Salute to the Faithful

"Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord." (Matthew 25:21)

In this day of scandal and public failure by leaders in the church, I'm reminded that for every one pastor that brings embarrassment to the church there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, that continue in quiet, consistent, faithful service to their church and community. We don't hear about these guys because they aren't attention grabbers. They are found in the pulpit week after week proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ. Each service they reach deep into the treasure chest of God's Word and expound another jewel-laden ornament of grace for their hearers.
Their congregation knows they will be there with a message of hope, faith and love. If they come with words of correction or rebuke, there is a compassion in their eye and a tear in their voice. There is no question by those who know them that they are loved. Many times these pastors are taken for granted because of their consistency. If we can't make it to church this week, no problem, pastor will be there next week and we can pick up where we left off.
These faithful men can be found in their quiet places praying for those around them. They pray for their family, their congregation and their community. They walk the halls of the hospitals bringing comfort, they walk the halls of the nursing homes bringing assurance; they walk the halls of the schools bringing smiles to the faces of the kids.
At the end of their ministry few really recognize the price they paid to be faithful. Some will pat them on the back and the church will have a nice pot-luck dinner and say good-bye. Then they will have a few nice words written about them on their obituary. They never had a multi-million dollar ministry on television. They never wrote a best-selling book. They never built a college with their name on it. They just loved, and wept, and prayed, and served their community year after year after year.
I salute the faithful pastors. I salute these faithful men and women for the lack of attention they received. I salute them for standing their post, keeping the faith, feeding the flock, warning the wayward, reaching the lost, helping the hopeless, strengthening the weak and mentoring the fatherless. They will not get much recognition here. They will never be rich, live in the biggest houses or drive the trendiest cars but what they lack in material goods they make up for in spiritual riches.
"Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord."

A New Year Means to Remember an Old Command

It's the start of 2010. It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating the change of the century and people were wondering what Y2K would bring. Now we've gone through ten years of the 21st century already!
As I think about what and where I should put my focus for this new year, an old commandment comes to mind. "Love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength," Jesus said, "and the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
It's good just to stop and assess, have I been loving God with all my heart? Is there space to expand His love within me? Are their things that I've allowed to grow up in my heart and clutter His space?
What about the way I treat my fellow man? How can I really love God whom I can't see, if I don't love my neighbor whom I can see? Some people may be looking for a "new" word for the new year. For me, I'm refreshing myself on the old word.
Lord, check my heart. Help me to love you with all I am. Help me to love my neighbor. I give myself afresh to You this 2010. I love You, Lord.