24/7 (1 Timothy 5:17-18)

Today’s scripture: 1 Timothy 5:17-18

I believe one of the hardest jobs today is being a Bible-teaching, Christ-following preacher. Oh, the things they deal with … Counseling. Managing. Studying. Sermon-preparing.

They’re responsible for overseeing their local church and staff. They need to develop weekly sermons that will instruct their often-apathetic congregations. They visit shut-ins. They perform weddings … and funerals.

And if these weren’t enough, they must protect their marriages and nurture their families.

Being a pastor is, in reality, a 24/7 job. And what thanks do they get? Probably very little. Like many other service-oriented professions, pastors are just expected to do everything, and do it well. Often they’re over-worked and underpaid. They’re relatively ignored when things are going well, but if anything goes awry, fingers are pointed to them.

So why would anyone choose to be a pastor? Well, most would probably say they didn’t necessarily choose being a pastor. Most would say it chose them. In other words, they were called and anointed by God.

And even with little affirmation, they still diligently do what God’s called them to do.

What should we do? We should show our appreciation for their hard work. We should encourage them to stand firm. We should really listen to what God says through them.

At the very least, we should say “thank you” a lot more often than we do.