“Those who live by God’s forgiveness must imitate it; one whose only hope is that God will not hold his faults against him forfeits his right to hold others’ faults against them.” – J.I. Packer
I need God’s grace. I am still weak, misguided, headstrong and unbelieving. I need His wisdom, patience, and mercy applied to me daily. I have always conceived of the pastoral ministry as one hungry beggar showing other hungry beggars where to find bread. I depend on the free grace that I preach to you. Thomas Manton wrote, “there is none so tender to others as they which have received mercy themselves; that know how gently God hath dealt with them.” Grace must be needed, received, and enjoyed, before it can be effectively proclaimed.
I think this is one reason why men are called to preach and not angels. The faithful angels do not need the same grace that I do. One of the qualifications for preaching Christ is being humbled and exalted by that sweet grace of the gospel. We must taste that sustaining and transforming grace before we can joyfully and powerfully proclaim it to others. I can at times grow weary at the weakness and ignorance of God’s sheep. Until I remember my own. Depression grows when I see the hard-heartedness of God’s children; until I remember my own. You get the picture. We all need the same thing; the humility to receive and remain dependent on the sure grace of God.
We must shepherd others as Christ has shepherded us. Paul speaks of his pastoral ministry in this way, “but we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7). Early on in my ministry I summarized this conviction in a way that I would remember. “Be as patient, gracious, and gentle with others as Christ was with you.” That thought has served me well as I walk among the weak, the wounded, and the weary. I am the hungry beggar that has found the bread! Join me and let us celebrate the grace of God together! Pray that we would be a gentle, gracious presence in the midst of God’s flock at Westminster.