My life is not my own.

My God lovingly made me with a purpose. I was made to serve the Lord.

Serving Him in the realm of Church leadership is a privilege. Lisa and I have been walking in this destiny for all of our adult lives..

Today, I’m sharing 3 reasons why I love being a pastor. But before I do that, let me be clear.

Every morning when I get dressed to drive to my office, I put my pants on one leg at a time. Some mornings when I do this, I lean against the bedroom furniture. But there are also those days when I can slip them on with no leaning for extra support.

However, I’ve also had those mornings when I was too confident, didn’t lean on something, and almost fell over just trying to get dressed. It’s easier than we think to lose our balance.

I tell you this metaphorically so that I can say this. I’m simply a servant of God like so many others in His Kingdom. I would never describe myself as an elite among my Master’s many servants. I’m just a man who can lose his balance and fall over in the simple tasks of life.

However, I do live in the favor of God’s supportive hand. His love is overwhelming, and He gets all the glory for any good you see in me. The truth is you wouldn’t like me without the Potter’s Hand molding and guiding me as His vessel. Shucks, I didn’t even like myself when I was without Christ.

Now let me get back to my titled reason for this collection of words and sentences.

I love serving the Lord and the fact that He made me to be a pastor. Here are 3 reasons why.

1) I love being a pastor because I get to use my best gifts on a daily basis.

He deposited the gifts of administration and communication deep within my soul. These are better known as leadership and preaching. There’s not a day that goes by when my mind is not working toward improving something for somebody. I love to make things and people better. Whether it’s by writing, teaching, or preparing the next meeting agenda, I love using these gifts to edify the Body of Christ.

2) I love being a pastor because I stay focused on following Christ.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of another pastor confessing this. Maybe I’m not supposed to tell you. But serving the Lord as a pastor means that I stay acutely aware of my need for the Holy Spirit’s daily support. Even on my most confident days, I need His help to follow with consecrated humility. Yes, I followed Him before I was heavily involved in church leadership. But, active pastoral ministry keeps me humbly leaning.

3) I love being a pastor because I get to hear and see when my life is making a difference.

Sometimes it’s right after a worship service when a believer is weeping, and they tell me that the Lord really helped them through the sermon. It’s not just about what happens on Sundays. I like Mondays because I get to review Sunday’s activities. I read connect cards, learn about prayer needs, and get to help follow up with first-time guests. During the week, I occasionally overhear a church member telling another about something God is helping them with while knowing it’s a matter I’ve counseled and prayed with them about. God gets the glory, but I thank Him that I get to make a difference in His Kingdom.

BONUS! I love being a pastor because I’m not in this alone. Lisa is God’s gift of support for our church and me. Her gifts are different from mine, but wow, she sure does make an amiable difference! Her love for our people and dedication to the ministry is inspiring. She makes my life as a pastor so much easier, and we have fun doing the Lord’s work.

Hey, Pastor ___________ (fill in the blank if you’re a pastor or other church leader). You don’t have to do ministry alone, either. Even if it’s from a distance; I’ll be glad to help support you prayerfully and with a little counsel along the way.

Feel free to lean on me because we’re all a part of one fold with one Shepherd. We are stronger together because we can help each other stay balanced.

God is good to give us so many blessings. He uniquely blesses me to get to do what I want to do.

How about you?