The Gift Of People

It is Sunday morning again. I sit here thinking about all the good people God put in my life along the way to encourage me and inspire me to keep going. There are far too many to mention here.

While I will be the first to admit, I am not an easy person to like much less to love, God has graciously gifted me with many wonderful relationships. Because I have always preached hard people tend to think I do not love people. Though I have no fear of men, God has given me a shepherd's heart for the people I have served. I love them deeply. Even those we had to leave I still love. I  have known the blessing of being loved by family, friends, and the flocks I have served. Churches from Faith Community, to FBC Seminole, FBC Paradise, CentrePointe, and Burke Baptist Church have all been used by God to enrich my life.

How can I ever truly give thanks to all of those wonderful  people in such a way that they ever know what they meant to me then and now? I cannot go back to them individually. I cannot mention them by name for fear of not including someone and hurting them. All I can do is say a big THANK YOU TO GOD FOR EACH OF THEM.

As I rewind the years in my mind ,I can recall wonderful people in each church I have served as pastor or youth pastor. I made many mistakes along the way. For the most part people were patient and loving toward me forgiving my mistakes and blunders. I am especially appreciative of those who encouraged me in the tough times, prayed for me consistently, and those who inspired me to keep going and not give up.

How could I ever say thank you enough for all those people who have stood with us financially over the years. Thousands and thousands of dollars have been sent to us in direct answer to prayer. Many have partnered with us to help me keep preaching the truth. Today,y as I have the joy of celebrating baptism, I wish each one of those financial partners could stand in the waters with me to celebrate God's new life in a sinner saved by grace.

There is a special kind of bond and love that can only be known between a pastor and his flock or the shepherd and his sheep. He laughs with them, weeps with them, grieves with them, celebrates with them, and teaches them Bible truth faithfully. He stands with the flock in life's best moments such as weddings and the births of children. He also stands with them in life's harshest moments such as disease, divorce, and death. Many faces flash across my mind now. Years of laughing, weeping, praying, and giving the hope of Jesus have made me a blessed man.

I have given my heart and soul to several churches. I have preached and taught with all the passion God welled up inside me. I did this with churches that numbered in the hundreds and churches that numbered only a few dozen people. In each of them God brought some loving people along side me to share the joys and sorrows of life. Each have a treasured part in my heart.

Today, I thank God for you. All of you. Even those who opposed me or betrayed me.  God used you to teach me to lean on God, to trust Him for refuge and comfort and to experience His faithfulness. These are lessons I would not have learned any other way. God used it all. Over the years God taught me how to love people. He even moved me to let my guard down and let other people in. My life has been richly blessed as a result.

God, thank You for the gift of people. Thank you for the many You have used to love me, encourage me, disciple me, shape me, and inspire me along the way. You have made me rich in relationships and for that I SHOUT THANK YOU! AMEN.