The
Lord’s Preacher
Elder O. B. Mink
Now In Glory
Most people do not care whether they exist or
not;
that is, until they get in trouble. Then they ask, “Where is that
preacher,
what’s his name?” Then the first question they ask the preacher is,
“Why in the
world did God let this happen to me?”
But, in fact, God’s preachers are not hard to
find,
for they are constantly being told by a great many people, “You get in
my hair,
preacher”, or, “You get under my skin”, and that is about as close as
you can
get to a person.
The Lord’s preachers are required to have the
wisdom
of Solomon; the disposition of a lamb; the swiftness of an eagle. But
when he
makes a mistake, he is called an ignoramus. If he unapologetically
preaches the
truth of God’s word, he is accused of being hard-hearted, or
inconsiderate. And
if he is not promptly at the scene of every church related emergency,
some of
the members will say, “He is lazy”.
In the eyes of a great many people, the Lord’s
preacher is a bogey-man who spends most of his time talking about the
place “down
there”.
While the great majority of secular employees
get
paid vacations, holidays, and a host of other job benefits, and rightly
so, the
Lord’s preacher is on call twenty-four hours a day, every day of the
year, and
his job benefits, other than the meager salary, are few or none. He has
no
pastor, nor labor union to take his grievance to.
Each church member knows, or should know that
God’s
preacher has but one mission in life, and that is to reprove sin, first
in
himself, and then in whomsoever it is seen. He is considered a
dedicated man,
but, he should keep quiet about the “little sins”, “immodest dress”, or
“colored
jesting”, and, oh yes, why does he criticize other churches?
If God’s preacher drives a big car, he is
materially
minded. If he drives a little car, he is not concerned in bringing
people to
church. He is expected to be the first and the last person at the
church
building, no matter what kind of car he drives.
He must be at all times ready to meet the
public, and
represent the church. If his old faithful suit begins to show wear from
the
many drops of pulpit sweat, he is undignified. Yet, some members keep
telling
him, “Don’t you forget, we are giving you your living”.
No matter how sour the grapes, he must ever be
an
extrovert, which is sometimes most difficult. But, faith in God has
made an
unceasing optimist of him and he knows the rain which comes into his
life falls
from the cloud of God’s merciful and beneficent providence which abides
upon
him.
Soldiers get medals for bravery. Industry gives
promotions and certificates of merit for jobs well done. Lodges bestow
accolades upon their worthies. The entertainment world has their
outstanding
artists whom they award with trophies. But none can compare with the
reward
that the Lord’s preacher will receive when he faces his God and hears
Him say, “Well
done, thou good and faithful servant”.
The Lord’s preacher knows that in order to
become
President of the United States, he would have to take a big demotion.
The Lord’s
preacher may, in old age retire from the pastorate, but he will never
cease to
preach, for there is no discharge from that high and lofty calling.
(The
Baptist Herald - October, 1994)