What Successful Pastors Desire: Part 1

David wrote in Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Complementing that promise are the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things (the necessities of life) will be given to you" (Matthew 6:33). Both of these verses address issues of what we desire and what we need. When it comes to successful pastors, certain common aspirations mark their lives. Here are some of the most important.

1. A successful pastor desires to please God in all things. It is not enough to work for God or serve God. God looks past the externals and examines the motives, drives, and aspirations of our hearts. Recall how Scripture informs us that on specific occasions the Father said of the Son, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased" (Matthew 3:17, 17:5, Luke 3:22). Paul provides insight for the pastor when he writes in 2 Corinthians 5:9, "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him." At different times pleasing God can include what we do as well as what we refuse to do. Sometimes it is work and sometimes it is rest. It pleases God when we depend upon Him for guidance in daily decisions.

2. A successful pastor desires to fulfill his calling. The call of God is a sobering and mysterious reality. Scripture is filled with passage after passage about how God calls people. He calls to salvation, calls to ministry, and calls to specific responsibilities in His kingdom. Every successful pastor has experienced these calls and is passionate about fulfilling them. Every successful pastor knows that God has given him certain gifts, experiences, and opportunities. And it is the desire of the pastor to accomplish all he can with what he has been entrusted. His desire is ultimately to hear, "Well-done good and faithful servant." Of course the key to fulfilling one’s calling is to be faithful over the long haul of ministry.

3. A successful pastor desires to grow constantly toward spiritual maturity. Like Jesus, the role model, we should constantly "be increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man" ( Luke 2:52). This short summary of Jesus' progress reflects our Lord's well-rounded development. Should we not aspire to be like Him in all our ways? Paul expressed his own desire when he wrote, "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ" (Colossians 1:28). Please understand that maturity is a process and a journey that is never complete this side of Heaven.

4. A successful pastor desires to make a difference for eternity. I believe that a serious question deserving serious consideration is this: "What have we done and what are we doing that will make a difference for eternity?" What in our efforts will bear fruit in eternity? What in our efforts will help populate Heaven? What in our efforts will demonstrate overcoming evil with good? What in our efforts will display the power and glory of God when everything hidden is revealed? What in our efforts will be the demonstration of over-coming faith? More specifically, whose life is different for the better because of your efforts?

5. A successful pastor desires for his family to be blessed. He is one who honors his parents, loves his spouse unconditionally, and nurtures his children and grand-children. He prays for his family. He provides for his family. He encourages his family. He protects his family. One of his great desires is that his family would know and experience the blessing of God. He wants the hand of God to be upon his own life, and also upon the lives of those he loves. He wants each person in his family to experience the presence of God and the fruitfulness that He produces. He wants to love and be loved. Each member of his family is viewed as a cherished gift from God.

6. A successful pastor desires to be healthy. He understands that whatever he accomplishes will be done in the body God has given him. He gets one body for life and has the responsibility to take care of it. So, he exercises, eats healthy, gets enough rest, and gets his yearly check-up. He avoids the kinds of behaviors and habits that are detrimental to his health. He understands that taking care of himself is a stewardship from God to which he will give an account. He takes seriously the admonition to "glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20).

7. Finally, a successful pastor desires to be financially secure. Because of this, he trusts God with his finances, considers all he has as a stewardship entrusted to him by God, and is disciplined in how he manages his resources. He knows the Scripture that teaches that a "workman is worthy of his hire," yet he is not in the ministry for the sake of money. He is not a hireling but a shepherd. His needs are not a motive to worry but to pray. In the end, he is trusting God to provide for his needs.

Next time I'll delve further into the desires of a successful pastor's heart.