Considering Circumstances and Consequences

617 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, Next on the list of pastoral qualifications is the pastor must be temperate. The King James says “vigilant.” The Greek word means “circumspect, which means to “look around, to be cautious.” The idea being to be careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences before acting.” It's not difficult to see how important this qualification is for the leader of a flock. A real life shepherd is constantly on watch for any and all circumstances that might put the flock or an individual sheep in danger. Likewise a shepherd in the flock of God is ever vigilant against false teaching, and ever vigilant about the cancer of sin doing harm to the flock or a member of the flock. This quality is especially important as the pastor deals with messy situations that can arise between two people, or even two factions in the flock. As he seeks to mediate the dispute, it is important that he listen to both sides of the story. These disputes can involve anything from business deals, to marital conflict, to gossip,...anything that can cause a rift between members of the flock. A vigilant pastor is one who will gather all the facts, and then bring appropriate Scripture into play, seeking to correct any wrong ideas or actions that are creating the rift. The goal of course is restoration to unity. The devil loves to create these kinds of situations in the Body of Christ. To divide and conquer is one of his major tactics. His very name (devil) comes from the Greek word “diablo” which means to divide. A vigilant pastor is one who recognizes this tactic and then takes measures to nip it in the bud. It's not easy to mediate disputes in the flock of God, but it is necessary, and this qualification for a pastor guards against the danger of hasty decisions, that can be made without first having all the facts. Father, help our pastors to be wary of all the devil's schemes, and help them to remain prudent in all things.