All of this to say, we will never find paradise on earth. We will never legislate our way to peace. We may experience respites from evil and see certain social ills dissipate, but I suspect they only get replaced by other forms of evil. The only thing that will deliver us is the gospel of Christ and his return.

Rest is hay for the horse, or the whetstone for the blade. The same goes for you—take time to rest so you can be more effective upon your return. This is good advice, I believe, for pastors and anyone, frankly, who works hard.

It seems that every so often a couple would visit the church—one person was on fire for the recently discovered Reformed faith and the other person was not sure what was happening, but they were just along for the ride.

So, whether you’re a pastor or not, don’t forget to smile! It’s a simple thing, but far to often we forget to let the joy of the gospel bubble to the surface.

This glimpse “behind-the-scenes,” if you will, should encourage you, I hope, to be in constant intercessory prayer for your pastor. Pray that the Lord would give him peace and the energy he needs to minister faithfully word and sacrament to God’s people each Sunday.

All too often, I believe, we are too thin-skinned. We don’t want to tolerate the slightest hint that someone might not think as well of us as we do of ourselves. Other times I think people are all too interested in immediate vindication. We want everyone to know we are right and that others have wronged us.

Remember that since we are all redeemed sinners, we all have shortcomings. Every pastor has his flaws, and even if we tend to forget them, we should not set any one pastor up as the index by which all other pastors are measured. Christ alone is our standard.

I’m not saying you have to conceal your personality, and I’m not saying that you can’t have fun, and I’m not saying you can’t let your inner child out every once in a while. But I am saying that there are times and places for such things and when you’re in a prominent place, such as the pastorate, you need to think deliberately about how you conduct yourself.

I’m not saying that retirement is wrong—do as the Lord leads. But I’m really grateful that as a minister, so long as my mind stays sound (there are doubts already), then I can continue to labor well beyond retirement age.

Admitting that you don’t know something has two positive outcomes: (1) it becomes an opportunity for you to learn! (2) You show your congregation that you don’t know everything but that you’re willing to learn.