Pastor Appreciation Month: Day #10

Pastor Appreciation Month: Day #10

October is Pastor Appreciation Month.
Take time today to express to your pastor how much he means to you.

Partnering with Your Pastor
We are one body made up of many members (I Corinthians 12). God's plan is that God's pastor and people work together. Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Exodus 17:9-13, “And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

In Exodus 17, Moses had his hands lifted toward Heaven, no doubt holding that staff in his hands, and the children of Israel prevailed in battle. When his arms would lower due to fatigue, the Amalekites gained the advantage. However, Aaron and Hur stepped forth and held the hands of Moses up until the battle was won. The task Hur accomplished that day may not sound like a lot, however, had it not been for the work of this man, Moses would not have had the strength to do his job and Joshua would never have been able to lead Israel to victory in the battle. Had they not been there, the battle would have been lost and Israel would have been defeated!

1. Members like Hur are Absolutely Precious.
Preachers spend hours praying and preparing their sermons. Meanwhile, the congregation spends hours before the Lord in their prayer closets lifting up the hands of God’s men. In the church, there is a number of people who are praying, fasting, and carrying the load. No price could ever be placed on what people like Hur are worth to the church!

2. Members like Hur are Always Participating.
Hur wasn't a great leader like Moses. He wasn't a great General like Joshua. He wasn't a great High Priest like Aaron. He wasn't a warrior like those in the army. He was just Hur. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Hur, however, what he did he did willingly, actively, and faithfully. He could hold up hands and he did the best job he could! By holding his hands up to the Lord, Moses showed his dependence on God. Israel’s strength and victory depended on their faith in God. They showed this by prayer and obedience. In this situation, when Moses stopped praying, God’s power stopped flowing (Hebrews 7:25). Our only hope of victory comes from relying on God. We should embrace the privilege we have to “therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy” (Hebrews 4:16).

3. Members like Hur are Advocating Prayer.
R. A. Torrey used to say that the chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer. If you can't pray like you want to, pray as you can. God knows what you mean. And you have good help—the Advocate who is God's Son and the Paraclete who is God's Spirit. They will take your feeblest prayer and make it perfect. The devil is in constant conspiracy against a preacher who really prays, for it has been said that what a minister is in his prayer closet is what he is, no more, no less. Prayer may not get us what we want, but it will teach us to want what we need. God is not impressed by length or loudness in our prayer. He sees the heart, and when we have prayed our hearts into acceptance of His will and our wills into obedience to it, we may calmly wait for the answer. The thermometer of a church is its prayer meeting.

We are all essential to the proper functioning of the body of Christ! There is a great work to do and there is room for all who want to be involved in the Lord's work. Although we can’t do everything, remember that the Lord has placed us in His body in the place that pleased Him (I Corinthians 12:4-27). It isn’t important if you can’t do what others can do, it is important that you do what you can do. Thank God for those people who know they can't do everything but are determined to do something!

When the enemy strikes, our only hope is the LORD. Daily, dependable prayer is the fundamental foundation of the successful Christian life. The measure of any Christian is their prayer life. The lifting of Moses’ raised hands was a sign of intercession. “Moses’ hands grew heavy” (Exodus 17:12). Jesus never gets tired of interceding for us! “He ever liveth to make intercession for us” (Hebrews 7:25). While we fight the good fight of faith (I Timothy 6:12), He intercedes for us (Romans 8:34)! In our battles we also must go to the throne of God holding up our hands and saying, “LORD, this is out of my control. I need Your help”.

We all need holding up. We all need our arms, or our faith, supported by the arms or faith of another. Like Moses, Aaron, and Hur, we are all part of the great “cloud of witnesses” and it is our responsibility to point others to Christ, while at the same time, keeping your eyes on the LORD (Hebrews 12:1-2). Nothing means as much to we minister’s like the Hur’s within the congregation who are holding our hands up in prayer.

We are a Team working for the same Goal, to see:
Sinners Saved
Saints Strengthened
Scriptures Spread-out
Saviour Satisfied

Questions to Consider:
Who can you lift up today?
What is something you can you today to lift the burdens of another?

Points to Ponder:
You can start lifting up those around you right now by encouragement and edification.
You’ll find that while you are lifting up others, you will in turn find yourself being lifted!

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