I love what the writer of Hebrews says regarding how how we need to treat our church leaders/pastors/teachers:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews 13:17ESV

Church leaders and pastors are assigned by God to shepherd the people of God. This assignment is not an easy task for one, they give account to God as to how faithfully they keep watch over our souls. I think that is scary; and for two, we all are naturally difficult people to shepherd.

So while our pastors strive to watch over our souls and pray for us day and night, can you imagine thinking to make them poor in this side of heaven in the name of “his wife works full time?”

God forbid!!!

And some people foolishly think that paying less to their pastor is the best way to make him serve them spiritually. Their thinking is, if we pay him more, he will love this world and he won’t be a good spiritual leader to us.

Such a distorted thinking! They want to shepherd the shepherd.

When people take a good care of their pastor, their pastor does a good job of caring for them spiritually, praying for them day and night. Isn’t that so natural and straightforward? I think it is! And when that happens, who gets benefited the most?

The people!

So the Hebrews writer says, “Let them -the pastors- do this [watching over your souls] with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

So true!

So let’s strive to be an easy people to deal with to our pastors so they can shepherd us and keep over our souls joyfully!

One best way for us to do that is by trying to understand their labor and compensate them accordingly.

But buying a private jet or a Ferrari to our pastors is 🤔 let me see. What does that even mean? I am not really sure. ///