Scripture to Read: 1 Timothy 3:4-5
Today and tomorrow we will focus on God’s very specific instructions about a pastor’s leadership in his home. Since God is dealing with how a pastor manages his family, one might think that a pastor must be married and have children. God is not saying that a single man cannot be a pastor. God is making sure that a man who is married, has children, and aspires to be a pastor must be a godly leader in his home. Again, any Christian man who is married and has children, even if he does not feel called to be a pastor, must still manage his family well. For a pastor (or any Christian married man) to manage his family in a Christ-like manner, he must live according to Ephesians 5:25-33. God says to husbands in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” God wants all married pastors (all married Christian men) to know that a well-managed family starts with loving our wife in the same way Christ Himself loves us (His church/His bride). The love God commands married men to have is a sacrificial love. This sacrificial love is the same love Christ has for us and He sacrificed Himself for us. This love in Greek is called Agape, which means unconditional love. Pastors, and all Christian men, must love their wives so deeply that the world takes notice of how different God’s love is compared to what the world calls love.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about Agape (love) and what that looks like in a Christian marriage?
2. How are you practicing agape (love) for your family and the other people in your life?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!