Shepherds And Sheep, What Do You Want?

There can be other reasons why a pastor might lose his willingness. Perhaps his ministry has run its course and he is becoming predictable and old to his people. When I was back in Kansas I felt like I was spinning my wheels a bit at my old congregation, and losing a bit of my zeal. Everything was going fine, but I didn’t want to just go through the motions of being a pastor. They needed somebody with a fresh perspective and fresh energy to come in and try to serve them. I also needed a fresh start and I got one when I came here.

The opposite of this attitude would be only doing your job for a paycheck. Think of the popular preachers who have a cult of personality about them, who preach a prosperity gospel in order to make themselves rich. I could see it happening in older age when he has built trust among his people and a good support system so he can coast to a point. Peter says there is no room for that in the ministry, just biding your time until you retire or doing the bare minimum to get by.

Whereas this is a text primarily written for pastors, it does apply to you also. If God wants willingness and eagerness from His pastors, then He wants the same from you. Ask yourself, “Am I willing and eager to do these things in MY household?” It was delightful for me to see the cows come running for the feed at my father-in-law‘s house. It made me happy to see their eagerness to come and eat. Do you show the same eagerness to come and listen to God‘s word?

You can see an illustration of this in daily living. Let’s say you have a spouse who loves going out to eat or riding bike or watching a television series. They want you to experience it with them and go with them. They’re excited about it. You can make the experience miserable by going along and complaining the whole time. You can refuse to go, and make them go by themselves. Or you can go along and try to have fun with them, at least enjoying your time with them and seeing them happy. You can try to enjoy it as well.

If you apply this to yourself, and how you participate at church, what kind of an attitude do you have in coming to worship and Bible study? Are you only here as a sense of duty? Do you complain about it? Do you make any effort to come? Do you come to church but put no effort into listening or singing? Or do you sit slouched down in your pew and just look at your watch, waiting for it to end. Do you dive into the word, ask questions, and eagerly desire to know more? Who would you be easier to teach and preach to if you were the pastor?

If you notice that your pastor does not seem very willing or very eager then maybe you could pull him aside and ask him if he’s doing OK. Or perhaps you could ask yourself “What can I do to help hold up the prophet’s hands and encourage him and his ministry?” Or maybe your pastor has lost his will to Shepherd. It doesn’t mean he’s lost the faith. But maybe he’s just tired. Maybe he needs a sabbatical… these things have happened. If you notice that he seems worn out, maybe he needs a vacation. It wouldn’t hurt to ask. Maybe it would cause him to look at himself and do a double check.