The Daily Pressure

"Good men are promised tribulation in this world, and ministers may expect a larger share than others, that they may learn sympathy with the Lord's suffering people, and so may be fitting shepherds of an ailing flock." ~Charles Spurgeon, excerpted from The Minister's Fainting Fits

As a younger man I never dreamed life would be like this - no idea it could be so good, nor so difficult. I had no idea my life story would include some of the startling chapters that have been written. One thing I'm sure of however: my understanding of the Lord's morning-fresh mercies has grown with every turn of the page.

An unlikely choice, the Lord called me to be a pastor. After fifteen years on the job, it still seems awkward for me to actually write that sentence. I'm not sure I'm well suited for the task, though I understand I'm thoroughly equipped through Christ. The burden of shepherding is more, I think, than any of us ever expect. Paul puts it well when he lists his myriad tribulations to the folks at Corinth and ends with the statement that, "Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches." As if having rocks thrown at him and being shipwrecked wasn't enough, he never stopped thinking about and praying for all those people!

Without a doubt it was the hot crucible of his suffering that magnified his ministry and gave him a depth of compassion he'd never imagined. And still his sufferings were no match compared to what the Savior suffered. But where there is suffering with Christ, there is comfort to match!

1 Corinthians 1:3-7
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.