THE LORD SPOKE (August 15)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Psalms 59-65

Belt and suspenders policy. Ever heard of that? In many cases, it’s a very wise policy. If the ripcord on your parachute doesn’t work, you for sure want a backup plan. If the automatic shut-off valve doesn’t function properly, you better have a manual valve to turn it off.

Having a Plan B is a good idea. Except when it comes to God. He will have no others before Him - or behind Him either, for that matter. He will share His space with no other. That’s why David says, “My soul finds rest in God alone...He alone is my rock.... Find rest, O my soul, in God alone” (Ps. 62:1,2,5).

What do people usually turn to in place of God, or alongside of God? What backup plans do they often use just in case He doesn’t “kick in” at the right moment or in the way they expect He should? Here are the substitutes people use:

• fortresses (Ps. 62:2) - a safe place where problems can’t penetrate
• friends (Ps. 62:4,9) - safe people who will tell them what they want to hear
• finances (Ps. 62:10) - a safe plan to provide a shelter in the time of storm

It’s like the first un-piloted passenger flight from New York to Los Angeles. After take-off a voice came on the intercom announcing, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to flight 777. We have just taken off from JFK without a pilot in the cockpit. The plane will be flying for the next five hours entirely by instruments. We will be landing at LAX without a pilot, for the cockpit is empty. But there is no reason to fear because nothing can go wrong...can go wrong...can go wrong....”’

David’s testimony is that a fortress can be shaken and will crumble, friends may turn against us and may even curse us when we need them most, and finances may increase but then they melt away all too quickly. The “impenetrable” strongholds we erect for ourselves are, in fact, no guaranty of security. Our band of brothers may, in fact, let us down in our hour of need. That nest egg we’ve laid away for our future may, in fact, actually be cracked and already draining out without our knowing it. There is only one sure Security and He will share His space with no other.

How are you doing on that score? Have you hedged your bets? Are you depending on suspenders to do what the belt might fail to do? Are you trusting God and _______? It doesn’t matter how you fill in the blank. If there’s anything after the “and” you’re headed for a crash landing. Only one Pilot can get you through the storms of life.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
Pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. (Ps. 62:8)

New Testament: I Peter 5

Sometime between John 21 and I Peter 5, the fisherman became a shepherd. The jobs are quite different, you know. For one thing, the relationship between the fishermen and the fish is not at all the same as that between the shepherd and his sheep. The fisherman doesn’t get down among the fish and speak to them to calm them down. Fishermen have been known to talk to themselves while fishing but they don’t lead the fish to greener water. They spend most of their time trying to figure out where the fish are! A fisherman rarely makes up endearing names for the fish he catches unless maybe he has a big one mounted and put on his wall. A shepherd never does that.

This passage is one of the two that use all three New Testament terms for a spiritual leader. (The other is Acts. 20:17f.) Peter begins by addressing the elders (presbuteros). He tells them to be shepherds (poimein) and refers to their service as overseers (episkopos). This is important to note because he is speaking in all three cases to the same people. These are not different offices but different functions of the same office. Some churches have distinguished between pastors and elders. Neither Paul nor Peter does that. When addressing the church at Philippi, Paul makes it clear that there are only two offices in the church: pastor and deacons (Phil. 1:1). It’s clear from passages such as I Timothy 5:17 that there may be different functions among the pastors/elders/bishops, such as teaching, administration, shepherding, etc. but the three terms are used consistently for one office. (Note: two offices also excludes a separate office of “deaconness” in the church. Women may serve, of course, but not in an official position.)

Peter doesn’t involve himself with giving a list of qualifications for the pastor/elder/bishop like Paul does in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. However, in the process, he does make mention of several important qualities for the position:

• willing disposition (I Pet. 5:2)
• generous (I Pet. 5:2)
• servant spirit (I Pet. 5:2)
• submission (I Pet. 5:5a)
• humility (I Pet. 5:5b-6)
• dependence upon God (I Pet. 5:7)
• self-control (I Pet. 5:8a)
• spiritual vigilance (I Pet. 5:8b-9a)
• faith and faithfulness (I Pet. 5:9b)

None of those qualities are the exclusive domain of a pastor. Far from it. Each finds ample emphasis throughout Scripture and apply to every believer. Every one of them should characterize the believer who is committed to the Lord.

How do you stack up?