Sometime after I graduated High School, but before I went to college I was fervently trying to decide what I was going to do with my life. As the fog began to clear and I could see that the LORD was calling me to some type of ministry, I began to devour books and podcasts. Somewhere through piles of books and the mass amounts of podcasts, I came across an interview of Matt Chandler by John Piper. In this interview as Chandler begins to unpack his biography and how he became a pastor, Piper references an earlier talk by Chandler and says: “one thing a young pastor very very very very early or very very very strong must decide is where you stand on the scriptures.”
I probably watched that interview five years ago and that line still sticks with me as it did then. I took that admonition serious and still do today. Shortly after I knew I was going to pursue ministry God brought me over and again to read and meditate on Psalm 1. Psalm 1 compares and contrast the wicked and the righteous man. The wicked man walks in the counsel of the wicked, stands in the way of sinners, and sits in the seat of scoffers, he will not stand in the judgment. I looked at this passage and I said “I don’t want to be that man!” I want be the man who doesn’t do those things I want be “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.”
But how do I become like the righteous man? The answer is in verse 2: “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” The message was clear, if I wanted to be like the righteous man I was to meditate on the Scripture day and night, and if I wanted to be a faithful pastor it would be through the ministry of Scripture.
Fast forward to a few years later and I sense that this is a very unpopular opinion. Both implicitly and explicitly I hear an emphasis placed more on psychology, sociology, and organizational leadership than on Scripture and theology. I hear others say that in order to be a successful or relevant pastor I need to know the culture, be a good therapist, and learn some business skills. While all of those things have their merit, where is our emphasis on Scripture for pastoral ministry?
I have always been amazed at the way Scripture speaks of itself. God says to Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” God promises success and prosperity to Joshua if he meditates on the law, however Joshua was not a professional theologian. Joshua led the people of Israel, he was a military leader, he likely dealt with religious, militaristic, political, and judicious affairs and still God says the one thing that will give you success is meditating on Scripture. God did not send Joshua to school to become a Navy SEAL, a business man, or a politician, but tells him to diligently study Scripture. If this was true of Joshua, how true is it of the pastor?
Just as Joshua likely knew how to swing a sword and deal with disputes among the people, so should the pastor know the tools of his trade, however God promises good success if we meditate on Scripture day and night.
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