The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
1 Peter 5:1-4
Peter is writing to pastors as a fellow pastor even though he is in authority over them. He recognizes their position as elder in the place they minister while maintaining his authority by virtue of first person participation in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. He is not quite giving them commandments but he is setting a standard. Though Paul is writing to pastors the principal he espouses apply to all who labor at any level of ministry.
We are to see ourselves as managers/stewards of our ministry not as the owners. The job we do doesn’t belong to us. The people we serve don’t belong to us. They all belong to our Father. When we release people in ministry instead of harnessing them for our own purposes we are closing in on the style of Christ. When we harness them to further our agenda we participate in ‘lording over’ those given to our care. We are to lead by example not by driving them into the chutes we deem fitting for them.
We are to serve willingly not because we have no choice. Jesus will not drive us into ministering so we know when we are being driven our motivation is not from Him. His yoke is easy; His burden is light because He is yoked with us carrying the load.
Money earned honestly is OK but it will never replace the fulfillment brought to our lives by heartfelt service to those we have been called to serve. Heartfelt service that serves Christ by reaching out to the least among us is the key to the Chief Shepherd’s steadfast approval. We can receive an unfading reward that shines on Christ’s redemptive act forever.
Your Fellow Servant,
Pastor Jason
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