Professionally Sincere, or Just Sincere?

ALL – Psalm 57:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 23:9-11
OT – Isaiah 12:1-14:32
NT – 2 Corinthians 13:1-14

Interesting passage for the day: I pray that you will live good lives, not because that will be a feather in our caps, proving that what we teach is right; no, for we want you to do right even if we ourselves are despised. – 2 Corinthians 13:7, The Living Bible

Thought: Why do people seem to fight a pastor’s advice more than each other’s? Is it some suspicion lurking in people’s minds that the pastor is just trying to be a know-it-all and prove how great he is? When a pastor wants people to do something good, does everyone assume that he’s just giving his particular advice “because that’s his job”?

Pastors love their people. At least I hope so. Personally, I don’t look at being a pastor so much as being paid to give good advice. I see it more as being financially supported so that I can max out my time doing what I would try to do even if I weren’t a pastor—loving people and encouraging them to follow Jesus.

“I pray that you will live good lives…even if we ourselves are despised.” For me, that’s not just a phrase I’m paid to say. I don’t write this blog every day because I’m paid for it, either (I’m not). It’s because I love you (yes, you, whoever’s reading this, even if I don’t know you) and want to do everything I can to encourage you to love the God who loves you, hates sin, and died to show the extent of both.

Question: Which people do you suspect are only saying good things because they’re supposed to? What would it take for you to follow their counsel anyway?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.