And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
15 Temptations for Pastors
February 3, 2010
Paul Tripp lists the following temptations that are either caused by or exacerbated by pastoral ministry:
Familiarity—loss of awe at holy and amazing things.
Identity amnesia—forgetting you are a person and have a life apart from the ministry vocation.
Missional confusion—losing sight of being an ambassadorial representative of Christ at all times.
Mediocrity.
Self-righteousness.
Fear of man.
Formalism—when public ministry overwhelms private devotion (no s).
Self-promotion.
Family neglect.
Numbing—TV, food, escapism, banal entertainment
Politicizing—politics aims at preserving positions; pastoral ministry isn’t concerned with position.
Bitterness—against obstructors.
Envy—looking over the fence at some other ministry.
Self-rule.
Loss of zeal.
If you are reading this blog entry, pray for Sam Crabtree.
Pastor Sam Crabtree is Bethlehem's Executive Pastor and Lead Pastor for Life Training.