Matthew 10:8, 10 “Freely you have received, freely give. The worker is worth his keep.”

It’s interesting how much trouble we have trusting and following this simple principle. On one hand, Christian workers tend to go where the money is, and on the other hand, many churches underpay their pastor. The minute a Christian worker makes income the criterion for where they will go, they have chosen to serve money rather than God. (Matthew 6:24) When churches fail to support their pastor to the best of their ability, they are despising the servant of God. God is our supply, and that is true for everyone, but we are to hold ourselves available as channels of His supply to one another, and that is most naturally true of a church and its pastor. It has been shown repeatedly that when the pastor’s income is much above the median income of the congregation, then there is dissatisfaction and resentment in the congregation. However, when the pastor’s income is much below the median income of the congregation, it shows that there is little respect for the man and his message, and therefore little submission to God.

The only period in which this applied directly to me was when I was pastoring in the US. Here, as the bi-vocational pastor of a very small congregation, I receive directly from the church less than I put into it in offerings. However, God is my supply, and I have never gone hungry. I’m not at all sure what the median income of the congregation is at this point, but I’m sure it’s not very high. If I had high income from whatever source, the resentment would still tend to be there. Though my income is not high, God’s provision has been such that I look to many people like my income is much higher than it is, and there has indeed been some resentment. From my standpoint, there’s some pretty sharp irony there! Thankfully, I don’t feel that from those presently active, and I have been quite touched at their desire to provide more for me. My focus must be on active obedience to God, and not what I am going to be paid in material terms from any source. After all, I know that my “retirement package” is absolutely out of this world!

Father, thank You for Your abundant provision. Thank You for raising me in an environment where money was never central. Help me continue to grow in my trust and my stewardship, so that whatever funds You choose to send through my hands may be used as You intend. Thank You for the e-mail last night from someone who wants to contribute to the church from the US. Guide me in responding to them, and in getting something onto our website for those who might want to do that, so that we will not miss the flow of Your provision. May my focus, and our focus as a church, always be on You and Your kingdom, so that nothing may distract us from full obedience, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!