…there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. Psalm 73.25
I’m reasonably sanctified for a minister anyway, but I’m not sure I could say what Asaph said. God is our chief end and ultimate joy, and nothing here matters if we lose him while we get it, but my prayer list is longer than Asaph’s. Maybe, that’s why I’m just a pastor not a prophet, but pastors need Asaph’s boast, perhaps aspiration is better, more than most. Luther taught us that all work is worship, but our work is actually worship which makes ministry a good placebo for loving God. The plowman’s plow can be an instrument of praise, but leading the liturgy of the saints as your day-job confuses the heart in ways that farming probably can’t.
Luther taught us that all work is worship, but our work is actually worship which makes ministry a good placebo for loving God.
You answered the call because you love God and spending your life reading, preaching and helping others love him seemed like the perfect job. You can decide how perfect it actually is, but be careful about loving what you do. The careless pastor’s heart might not notice God left his church if a thousand new people came. Worse, he might think his joy at a full house means he loves God more. Either way, he’s found something in the Temple to desire besides the God who makes it beautiful.
