I Love My Job......

I love my job. I love the people, the atmosphere, the challenge, the rewards of transformed lives. I love finding diamonds in the rough, and being part of the process of shaping and polishing them into 5 carat jewels.  It's more than a job, however. It's a calling.  If it was simply a job, when the rewards were slow and low, the challenges high and many, and I had unrelenting pressure from a part of the job that kept me awake nights, I could just change jobs. Get a new one. Go someplace else. But the call of God is not like that. Ask Jeremiah. Ask Hosea. Ask Paul. Ask Jesus. Part of the job for every pastoral leader, a person who leads people in the Kingdom of God, is to be a prophet.

Typically we only think of prophets as "foretellers", people who tell the future. But a biblical prophet is a "forth-teller", one who rings out the unchanging word of God and the truth of God in the midst of the chaos of change. One might think this would be an exciting and fulfilling opportunity. After all, we all love the truth, don't we?  And Jesus said that the truth would set us free, didn't he? Well, yes, he did. But the overlooked fact is that in Jesus' ministry to real, live, human beings with the personal will and freedom of choice, much of the time, hearing the truth made Jesus' hearers miserable first. Truth is, being the Truth and telling the truth got him killed. It's an age-old problem. I love MY truth, not necessarily THE Truth.

It was that way from the beginning. When God called Ezekiel, he was absolutely candid about the prospects. "The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words...Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people." (Ezekiel 2:4-6)  The Apostle Paul, one of the most stellar leaders of all time, spoke from personal experience in leading from an unchanging truth base. He encouraged the Hebrews, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." (Hebrews 3:17)

These instructions speak to both the pastor and the people over whom he/she has responsibility. First, truth is not a majority decision. God says whether the people mostly listen or they mostly don't makes no difference. There is no referendum on truth. It is unchanging. Our listening or not listening to God's truth makes a statement about US, and OUR hearts, not on the truth. Second, fear is the reason truth is so hard. We fear rejection and loss. We fear retaliation. We fear misunderstanding. We fear we will not ever be proven right. God is plain that all of us we need to hold HIM in reverence more than we fear the disapproval of others. As others have said so well, we primarily play to an audience of One.  Third, if I am placed in a position by God to be the truth-teller and I DON'T do it, I am rebelling just like the disobedient people to whom he is wanting me to speak.

Paul adds such a tender note to all of this. Truth-telling was never designed or desired by God to be a fire-breathing, eyebrow singeing process. He pictures it as a part of the responsibility of a very loving, responsible leader, who is guarding and protecting the eternal souls of people, knowing they will answer to God for how they handled their responsibility for those beyond precious commodities.  And I love his last words. When we are "watched over" by someone who cares for our souls, he urges us to cooperate with them and the process so that it is a joyfilled undertaking, not filled with loss and grief. He says that there is no profit to those who need the truth without this right attitude. 

So, back to the beginning. I do love my job. I do love my calling. I have a double-sided responsibility. I am not only IN authority as a caretaker of souls; I have those who watch over me. I freshly commit to receiving the truth and counsel God gives them for me. Joy to the World! The TRUTH has come!