Not perfect...

...you're a person; yes, human.

 

Last month, I attended a most unusual service and was glad that I did. There was room for anyone who wanted to come but at 1 minute passed the top of the hour, I was still the only congregation member. Talk about one-on-one/personalized church service. The Chaplain was happy that I came and I was happy that I made it this time and also made her day in a way.


After sharing that she's reading the Bible through this year and encouraging me to do the same, she quickly added that when she's running out of time, she turns to Our Daily Bread. She said 1 verse of Scripture is enough to carry her through the day. It's so true.

So, as you may have guessed, the sermon was based on that day's piece* in Our Daily Bread. She quoted Hebrews 13:17 but I heard and was struck by and stuck in Hebrews 13:7 which says:

"Remember your leaders who taught God’s message to you. Remember how they lived and died, and copy their faith." (New Century Version, emphasis mine)

I'll try to tie what I heard from the Chaplain and what I heard from the Lord.

Back to the "sermon":
She said that people need to remember that Pastors are not perfect - they are people too. She added that more importantly, Pastors should remember that they are people too who are not perfect and be willing to at least listen to other people's opinions/counsel - whether or not they agree with them.

I saw her point. However, it can be difficult - for both the church and the Pastor - when a church puts their Pastor (and sometimes Mrs. Pastor) on the "pedestal of perfection." Sadly that's why some people faint/fall in their faith when a prominent preacher falls into sin - or away from God.

The more I read Hebrews 13:7 that day, the more the Holy Spirit impressed this phrase upon my heart: "copy their faith, not their foolishness." We must not "copy" blindly. Pastors and their wives need to be careful not to lift any man high... we must remember they are humans. Only God is to be highly lifted up - because there is no one like Him.

On the flip side, the fact that we're not perfect is not an excuse not to do our best to live holy. The point is we must live in humility remembering our humanity - lest God humbles us.

References:
* http://odb.org/2014/02/16/why-cause-grief/