Nehemiah 12:44-47
Praise the Lord for our leadership at Emmanuel! Until I was on staff, I did not fully grasp how much our pastors take on. Sitting in staff meetings, I am able to hear some of the day to day things that are on their plates. I’ll tell you it’s far more than just preparing and delivering a sermon on Sunday mornings. The pastor, as the shepherd of his flock, tends to the needs of his people. Our pastors take on a lot of emotional baggage with the job. They are always needed by someone. There's always a broken marriage that needs fixing, a funeral to officiate, an addict looking for healing, a new Christian looking for guidance, and a wedding to perform. The list could go on. Not only that, our pastors have busy schedules. They at times have several meetings, multiple counseling appointments, and ministries to lead. At times, they work 12-hour days.
A pastor is never off duty. Yet, he must make time for himself and his family somehow amongst so many needing him. Nehemiah understood the importance of taking care of leadership in the church. He appointed men to oversee the contributions that came in from the people. Much like today, people gave a tithe. It looked a little different then, though. They gave a set amount of their livestock, food, or money to the Levites (Please don't bring your cow next Sunday!). They also gave DAILY, not monthly or weekly. I am not saying we need to tithe daily, but it shows the dedication the people had for taking care of the leadership God gave them. We see that the people did not just take care of the priests, but they also took care of their musicians too. Much like churches today, the worship leader is paid a salary. They put in a lot of work too (Thanks Sam!). Of course, we also have children's directors, admins, and custodians. The money you give to Emmanuel helps provide for our staff and their families. Not to mention, keep the heat going and the lights on, and make some of our ministries possible! Giving is a sacrifice, but we see it’s something that was done as early as Abraham's day (Gen 14:20). As we give, let us be reminded of 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”. Giving is a delight, not a burden. It is better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). We must take care of God's house, God's people, and the leadership God has blessed us with! Without your contributions, we are unable to bring on more staff. Our hope is to one day have a Youth Pastor at Grand Blanc and a worship Leader. These things are not possible without God's people giving to the cause. Take a moment and pray for your pastors and staff at Emmanuel, and pray for how you can help lighten their load or give back financially.
Praise the Lord for our leadership at Emmanuel! Until I was on staff, I did not fully grasp how much our pastors take on. Sitting in staff meetings, I am able to hear some of the day to day things that are on their plates. I’ll tell you it’s far more than just preparing and delivering a sermon on Sunday mornings. The pastor, as the shepherd of his flock, tends to the needs of his people. Our pastors take on a lot of emotional baggage with the job. They are always needed by someone. There's always a broken marriage that needs fixing, a funeral to officiate, an addict looking for healing, a new Christian looking for guidance, and a wedding to perform. The list could go on. Not only that, our pastors have busy schedules. They at times have several meetings, multiple counseling appointments, and ministries to lead. At times, they work 12-hour days.
A pastor is never off duty. Yet, he must make time for himself and his family somehow amongst so many needing him. Nehemiah understood the importance of taking care of leadership in the church. He appointed men to oversee the contributions that came in from the people. Much like today, people gave a tithe. It looked a little different then, though. They gave a set amount of their livestock, food, or money to the Levites (Please don't bring your cow next Sunday!). They also gave DAILY, not monthly or weekly. I am not saying we need to tithe daily, but it shows the dedication the people had for taking care of the leadership God gave them. We see that the people did not just take care of the priests, but they also took care of their musicians too. Much like churches today, the worship leader is paid a salary. They put in a lot of work too (Thanks Sam!). Of course, we also have children's directors, admins, and custodians. The money you give to Emmanuel helps provide for our staff and their families. Not to mention, keep the heat going and the lights on, and make some of our ministries possible! Giving is a sacrifice, but we see it’s something that was done as early as Abraham's day (Gen 14:20). As we give, let us be reminded of 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”. Giving is a delight, not a burden. It is better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). We must take care of God's house, God's people, and the leadership God has blessed us with! Without your contributions, we are unable to bring on more staff. Our hope is to one day have a Youth Pastor at Grand Blanc and a worship Leader. These things are not possible without God's people giving to the cause. Take a moment and pray for your pastors and staff at Emmanuel, and pray for how you can help lighten their load or give back financially.
Posted in Devotional