The Burden of the Church (3 of 4)

In the Bible, the Apostle Paul talked about the “burden” of the church. This week I’ve been confessing that, while I read lots of blogs where pastors rave about how great pastoring is, and how great their church is, I resonate more with Paul and often find it more of a burden than a joy. So why do I do what I do?

Well, first, because I’m called to it. This is what I believe God wants me to do. If He asked me to cheese grater myself to death, I’d do that too. He’s wiser than I am, and loves me more than I do, so I’d be pretty stupid to not do whatever He wants.

Second, because I can’t imagine doing anything else. Seriously, what else could I do that would have even a small proportion of the eternal impact that I get to have doing this? Nothing! There’s lots of things we choose to do, even though they’re not fun – exercising, dieting, studying. The wise choice isn’t always the easy choice.

And, third, because even though it’s incredibly difficult, it’s also the most rewarding thing going. Yes, it’s a burden, but being a part of changing lives is the most gratifying thing life has to offer. Does that make the difficulty worth it? Absolutely!

So I do it for those reasons, but it’s not always a joy for me. In fact, it’s often not a joy. So where do I get my joy? Tune in tomorrow…