“By the grace of God, I am what I am.” (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Being the pastor of a church can be very rewarding but can also be very challenging. There are wonderful people in the congregation, but there are also others who can try your patience.

One such lady approached me after a church service pointing out that she had observed me in public not living up to my own preaching. I do not recall the specific circumstances, but I either had said or done something contrary to what I had preached in church. She let me know what a hypocrite I was for not living up to what I had preached and informed me that she would be attending another church that had a more spiritual preacher. She ended her reprimand with “You don’t deserve to be in the pulpit!”

My response was, “Yes, you’re right. I don’t deserve to be in the pulpit. And you don’t deserve to sit in the congregation either.” She was stunned. I continued, “If we hung a sign outside the church that said ‘All Deserving May Enter,’ no one would come. We are all here by the grace of God.”

I am not called into the ministry because I am perfect. God called me as I am. The call of God is by grace.

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace” (Galatians 1:15).

I also do not take advantage of God’s grace by looking for every opportunity to sin. I strive with everything in me to live a life pleasing to God. But if you followed me every day, you would probably find me not always living up to God’s standard.

I am not anointed to live it; I am anointed to teach it. When I leave the pulpit, I have to put the same effort into living the Christian life as everyone else does. I also do not have time to follow the members of my congregation home to see if they are living the Christian life. I have a full-time job looking after myself, and so do they. Only the Holy Spirit follows each one of us home every day. He is the same Holy Spirit who called us by God’s grace and watches over us.

Bob Yandian

Copyright 2009 by Bob Yandian Ministries.
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