Pastoral Appreciation Thingy

(Proverbs 27:18 KJV)  Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.

This verse reminds me of the statements about pastors and their care,

    (1 Corinthians 9:9 KJV)  For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
    (1 Timothy 5:17-18 KJV)  Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.  For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

As I write this October is approaching and, if my memory serves me well, October is the month that many churches do a little pastor appreciation thingy.  I could be wrong on that.  If I am, come back and read this at the right time.  If I am right, you might want to get involved in that since we have at least three places in the Bible where it is brought up.  If you are on the church board or have the ear of a board member you might want to take a look at salary and benefits.  In spite of all the talk about offering-skimming pastors, most of them are honorable, underpaid and overworked.  God will smile on you for being faithful to these servants.

This should be reserved for the pastor who “keepeth" (tends NASB) (5341) the church.  This word is usually translated in such a way as to imply guarding and keeping watch.  I pray that your pastor is serious about his duties.  If he is, thank God and pray for him.  If he isn’t, pray for him and implore God to change him or move him.

I think that the “fig tree” (8384) refers to the people of God.  For us today that is the church.  Then it was Israel.  Do a word search and see how often Jesus referred to the fig tree.

So?  Check it out in the church you attend.  If you don’t attend, the problem is probably in you, not in the church.  Remember that if the early church had not been such a mess, Paul would not have written so many letters.  Picture a New Testament with only the gospels and Revelation.