All posts by Brandon G. B.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

A Terrific Tapestry | Bible Gleanings | August 24-25, 2024

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The rear view is a mess, but the front view is a masterpiece. That is what you’ll see if you glance at both sides of a tapestry. Tapestries are an ancient art form that requires an extraordinary amount of forethought and expertise. And to make one, a weaver will arrange threads vertically on a loom and then interweave threads of different colors horizontally. The end result is a breathtaking portrait which showcases the skill and creativity of the weaver.

However, the most striking feature of a tapestry is its backside, which looks like regurgitated rainbow spaghetti or a ball of yarn that an angry toddler twisted up. The back of tapestries are chaotic and unpleasant, lacking structure and meaning. But, simply turn it over and you’ll find that the weaver knew what he or she was doing. The front side view reveals that each thread, knot, and braid has a role to play and a pivotal purpose. It all depends on how you look at it.

That is how your life is in the grand scheme of God’s providential plan. He is weaving together every joy and sorrow, every day and every tomorrow, as part of His beautiful plan for your life. By stitching together every triumph you enjoy and every trouble you despise, He is creating a breathtaking tapestry which points to His handiwork. The Lord is the master weaver who knows exactly what He is doing. As Paul famously declared in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Unfortunately, all we can see is the backside of our life’s tapestry, which is rarely resplendent. Perhaps all we see are unanswered prayers and seemingly senseless suffering that looks like a jumbled disaster of threads and knots. But, no matter how much our lives may look like a mess, the Scripture is clear that everything has a place in the glorious masterpiece that the Lord is putting together (Eph. 1:11). And although we cannot see the whole picture, our simple but strenuous role is to trust that God is weaving something wonderful together. As Solomon wisely counseled, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5, KJV). 

There will come a day when we shall see our life’s tapestry from the frontside, but it will happen when God finishes it in heaven. One day, we will understand how every vexation and victory was necessary for God’s perfect plan to come together. As the Puritan Thomas Watson assured us, “Yet, in the end, all will be made clear and plain. Here we see but darkly as through a glass, but in heaven, the veil shall be pulled off, and we shall clearly see the love of God in all that befell us.” The terrific tapestry is coming together— just trust the process and the One doing the weaving.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Stop Whining and Start Worshiping | Bible Gleanings | August 10-11, 2024

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Complaining. We are all guilty of it. Studies show that most people gripe once every minute during a regular conversation. According to Psychology Today, the average adult burns 8 minutes and 45 seconds grumbling daily, which translates to 1,300 gripes a year! Even worse, a 1996 study by Stanford revealed that whining may actually “physically damage the brain,” demonstrating that complaining is not only counterproductive, but also catastrophic.

Complaining is also corrosive for a Christian’s credibility. According to the apostle Paul, the presence of whining reveals an absence of worship. He commanded believers, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing” (Phil. 2:12b-14). Paul was essentially saying, “Banish bellyaching from your life to demonstrate that God is working in you.” Therefore, complaining contradicts our claim to know Christ, whereas contentment corroborates our confession.

Remember the incessant murmuring of the Israelites in the Old Testament? They griped while they were enslaved in Egypt (Ex. 2:23). Then after the mighty deliverance they experienced, they complained that they weren’t in Egypt (Ex. 16:2-3). And when God miraculously provided manna for them in the wilderness, they grumbled because they didn’t have meat (Num. 11:1-6). They even whined because the taste of the water was not to their liking (Ex. 15:24)!

Picture this: you’re a pagan sojourner who encounters one of these grumbling Israelites. You’d immediately think, “They don’t have anything to be thankful for. There’s nothing exciting or appealing about their ‘God.’ They complain about desert life about as much as I do.” You wouldn’t give a second thought to the fact that the Israelites had just experienced the greatest deliverance in history by the hand of Almighty God. And that is why whining is detrimental to a believer’s testimony—it doesn’t persuade people that we have been liberated from spiritual slavery into salvation because of Jesus Christ. It is no wonder, then, that Paul said we must not grumble like the Israelites (1 Cor. 10:10).

The only fitting response to redemption is gratefulness, not grumbling. Believers should never do anything while murmuring; rather, all things should be done unto the glory of God and with rejoicing (1 Cor. 10:31). We should obey the will of the Lord with glad submission, although it may be difficult at times. And we should shout praises instead of mumbling complaints when God’s providence permits painful situations to come our way. As believers, we should stop whining and start worshiping.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Pernicious Sin of Partiality | Bible Gleanings | July 27-28, 2024

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He considered becoming a Christian, but the church rejected him. When the famous Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 1869—January 30, 1948) was a student, he read the Gospels and became intrigued by Christianity. He found the Christian faith particularly appealing because it seemed to offer a solution to the discriminatory system that plagued the Indian people. Therefore, he attended a Christian church one Sunday, only to be startled when the ushers refused to give him a seat. He never returned after they told him to worship “with his own people,” and he reportedly commented,  “If Christians have caste differences also, I might as well remain a Hindu.”1

Such favoritism and bias in the treatment of others is what the Bible calls partiality. And it is condemned, chastised, and castigated in the same holy Scriptures which Gandhi studied. As James the apostle commanded, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1). Partiality is the attitude which says to some,  “I like you because you are like me,” and to others, “And I don’t like you because you aren’t like me.” Partiality occurs when we wrongfully judge someone or write them off because of their politics, opinions, doctrinal beliefs, or even things like their past, personality, or appearance.

And the only way to kill the vice of partiality is to feed the virtue of impartiality. Believers should esteem everyone with equal scales, whether they are in the family of God or not. We ought to love and serve our like-minded neighbor and the one with whom we have nothing in common. God doesn’t play favorites and neither should we (cf. Deut. 10:17-18; Acts 10:34; Rom. 2:11; 1 Peter 1:17). Followers of Christ should never show “favoritism to gain advantage” (Jude 16).

Simply put, we must treat others as our Lord Jesus did—with a plumb line and an impartial eye. The Gospels tell us that Jesus preached the gospel to both the adulterous woman at the well and the religious teacher, Nicodemus. Christ reclined at table with Pharisees and ate dinner with sinners. Our Lord also praised the poor woman for the last penny she gave to the synagogue, and was just as delighted when rich men like Matthew and Zacchaeus gave up their livelihoods to follow Him. And most notably, Christ freely forgave sinners without favoritism, whether it was the pitiful paralytic lowered through Peter’s roof or the criminal crucified beside Him. If the Lord of glory showed no partiality, then how can we?

  1. Gandhi was also unfairly critical of Christianity, so everything he says should be taken with a grain of salt. In this case, he was correct.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Wisdom for the Asking | Bible Gleanings | July 20-21, 2024

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It is the choicest and most cherished treasure one can obtain (Prov. 3:19). It is worth more than gold, silver, and precious jewels combined (Prov. 3:14-15). It keeps you safe from ruin and ensures prosperity and honor. It is a gift that God is delighted to bestow upon those who ask Him for it (1 Kings 3:5-9). And it is a quality highly regarded in the Scripture and lowly regarded in society, namely, wisdom.

Contrary to what is generally assumed, wisdom is not a quality belonging only to the elderly or experienced. King Saul died as a 72-year-old fool, while David exceeded him in wisdom when he was still a youth (cf. 1 Sam. 13:1; 18:14-15; 31:4-6). As a boy, Samuel the prophet had better discernment than his mentor, Eli the priest, who was ninety-eight years old (1 Sam. 3:1-21). Indeed, some wisdom is obtained from old age and experience as an old stone gathers moss. But a stone freshly cut from the mine gathers moss just as quickly if it is planted in the right place.

Wisdom is also not the same as knowledge. Going to Harvard or Yale won’t insulate you from foolishness or its repercussions. As Charles Spurgeon once preached, “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”

Indeed, according to the Bible, wisdom is knowing the will of God and obeying it. It is the right use and application of knowledge from God’s word. Being wise means knowing and using the holy Scripture as your instruction manual for everyday life. Wisdom entails being a lifelong student in the school of godliness. Wisdom is all about knowing what God wants you to do and doing it.

The profit to be acquired from wisdom is of greater value than anything else this world affords. That’s why Solomon of old wrote in Proverbs 3:13-15, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” And all you need to do is ask God for it: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Abstaining from Anger | Bible Gleanings | July 13-14, 2024

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The insatiable flames of foolish fury burned within all three of them. Cain, Moses, and Jonah were all consumed with sinful rage, and its catastrophic consequences singed their lives. Cain was enraged when God favored Abel’s offering instead of his, and his anger and jealousy drove him to murder his own brother (Gen. 4:5-6). When the wilderness rock refused to yield water, Moses became furious and smote it twice, costing himself entry into the Promised Land (Num. 20:10-11). Jonah became exasperated when God showed compassion to his enemies, and he went down in biblical history as a sulking complainer instead of a heroic prophet (Jonah 4:1-4).

The testimony of Scripture is indisputable: sinful anger that goes unextinguished will burn your life in irreparable ways. That is why the Lord gives us many strong warnings and sober cautions in the Bible about wicked indignation. As David admonished, “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). According to Solomon, unrighteous indignation is a sign of fragility and foolishness: “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly” (Prov. 14:29). And conversely, the ability to restrain anger is characteristic of great strength and wisdom: “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Prov. 16:32).

Undoubtedly, there is no shortage of situations which may tempt us to express such evil exasperation. There are plenty of hot sparks that may ignite us like a brush fire: slow traffic, bad customer service, being overcharged on a bill, or having arguments on social media. Sometimes we may be tempted to fly off the handle because of a contemptuous gesture from a spouse, being backstabbed by a family member, hearing an injurious word from one considered as a friend, or receiving a slanderous remark from an unbelieving coworker. Oftentimes, the mounting heap of daily frustrations are enough to make us as mad as a wet hen. 

Thankfully, the Scripture gives us great counsel for abolishing anger. The Lord commands us to listen more than we speak, and take a “chill pill” during angry moments: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19, KJV). We are also exhorted by Paul to deal with anger immediately so that it doesn’t fester into something that the devil can use against us: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27). And most importantly, the word of God tells us to leave vengeance to the Lord, the just Judge: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord”” (Rom. 12:19).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Savior Who Seeks Sinners | Bible Gleanings | July 6-7, 2024

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I searched high and low for it, but it was sleeping with the fishes. My iPhone evidently decided to try its hand at scuba diving, as it dove out of my pocket during a recent kayaking excursion. I lost it at the bank and did everything I could to retrieve it, but to no avail (what a “sinking” feeling!). I looked for it in the murky and muddy depths, and called it from my wife’s phone in hopes that its vibrations would cause bubbles to rise to the surface. I even tried submerging my head to see if I could hear it ringing, but my efforts were useless. 

Although I never recovered my smartphone, I did learn a lesson: I was willing to go to great lengths (and depths) to recover something that was lost because it was valuable to me. And this is the humbling lesson which the Lord teaches us in the Bible’s great story of redemption. Just as I searched tirelessly for my lost phone, the Lord relentlessly pursues lost sinners because of His love for them. He leaves the ninety-nine sheep to find the one that is lost (Luke 15:4). Like the woman who sought her misplaced coin, the Lord diligently searches the whole world for the wayward (Luke 15:8-10).

As a matter of fact, the Lord runs after those who run away from Him, just as He pursued the first sinners in the Garden of Eden and rebellious Jonah who vainly attempted to escape His presence (Gen. 3:8; Jonah 1:3-4). And there is no greater demonstration of God’s searching and stop-at-nothing love than the cross of Calvary, where the Lord purchased the salvation of sinners with the blood of His beloved Son (1 Peter 1:18-19). Upon the gruesome hill of Golgotha, the Lord sacrificed His Son because of His love for those who hate Him and transgress His law. As Jesus famously said,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17, KJV).

This is why Christ came into the world: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Have you experienced the Savior’s steadfast love? Can you sing with the hymn writer John Newton (1725-1807), “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see”? If so, are you willing to go to the greatest lengths and depths to deliver the gospel’s soul-saving message to those who are lost? Do you long to see sinners gathered into the flock of God like Jesus does (Matt. 23:37)? 

“I will sing the wondrous story

Of the Christ who died for me.

How He left His home in glory

For the cross of Calvary.

I was lost, but Jesus found me,

Found the sheep that went astray,

Threw His loving arms around me,

Drew me back into His way.”

— “I Will Sing the Wondrous Story.” Francis H. Rowley (1854-1952)

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Going, Going, Gone | Bible Gleanings | June 29-30, 2024

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Fire destroyed it all. The 128-year-old mansion was already engulfed in flames when firefighters in Monterey County, California, were called to the scene on the morning of May 26, 2023. The once-marvelous mansion was a Victorian-style masterpiece which was featured in many films and beloved by members of the community. Unfortunately, the historic home could not be saved and its loss left a void in the hearts of those who cherished its beauty and significance. And, according to The Monterey County Weekly, while local neighbors mourned the fiery massacre of the magnificent mansion, none were as overwhelmed with remorse as the mansion’s titleholder. 

All of the man’s riches vanished in one sweeping moment. Millions of dollars earned through decades of toilsome labor were burned in a single hour. The finest woods and metals that adorned the mansion, which required thousands of hours to perfect, were consumed in mere seconds. All of the luxurious furniture and lavish furnishings which filled the home were reduced to ash in less time than it took to make them. And no one dared to approach the burning mansion for fear that they would likewise be consumed. 

A day is coming when a greater consuming fire will rob the world of its pomp, pride, pleasures, and possessions in one fiery flash. The world and worldly things may appear to be a magnificent mansion now, but the Lord will eventually reduce them to nothing by His blazing fury, and all that will remain is smoldering smoke (Rev. 18:9-10). All who cling tightly to material things will have everything ripped away from them in a single hour on the day of judgment. All who love this Babylonian-like world will watch with heart-wrenching regret as the purifying wrath of God incinerates everything they lived for. They will lament, saying, “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste” (Rev. 18:16-17).

Therefore, the Lord commands all of His people, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (Rev. 18:4b). Believers must flee from the appealing “mansion” of this world lest they be singed from a distance (Luke 21:34; Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:2; 2 Peter 3:11-13). As John exhorted, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him . . . And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15, 17, KJV). And besides, believers have a greater mansion waiting above: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2, KJV).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Lovers of Self | Bible Gleanings | June 22-23, 2024

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He preserved his smartphone at all costs, even if it meant potentially ending lives. In May of 2023, a distracted Indian official was taking selfies on the job, when he dropped his phone into a water reservoir which held over 2 million liters of water for local residents and farms. According to the Associated Press, he first directed divers to retrieve the phone, but when they came up empty-handed, he gave orders to drain every drop of the desperately-needed water in order to reunite with his darling device. He selfishly sacrificed lifesaving resources to save a waterlogged phone that costs only a few hundred dollars to replace. The selfies on his phone must have been spectacular!

His selfish retrieval happened time zones away in another country, but his selfishness hits home. All of us live in a “selfie culture” in which we are absorbed with ourselves and obsessed with a fervent quest for happiness at any cost. We are innately and instinctively self-centered, self-seeking, and self-serving. That is why the Bible says that as sinners, we are naturally “lovers of self” (2 Tim. 3:2a). Our fallen spiritual genes compel us to put ourselves first and everyone else last (Rom. 2:8; Phil. 2:21; James 3:16).

However, such self-centeredness should be steadily shrinking in the souls of saints who possess a new nature because of the redemptive work of the One who put others before Himself on Calvary’s cross. Thanks to the sanctifying work of Christ in believers, the Lord is replacing our greedy impulse to prioritize ourselves with a holy inclination to serve others and seek their best interests. That is why the Scripture teaches that selfless neighbor-serving is one of the surest evidences of having been saved by grace (1 John 3:14-18). Thus, all who know Christ should exhibit self-denying actions and a self-sacrificial attitude. As Paul the apostle commanded: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:3-5; cf. 1 Cor. 10:24).

Ironically, selfishness always results in great loss. Being self-absorbed will destroy friendships, damage fellowship with other believers, and even dismantle your prayer life (Prov. 18:1; James 3:13-14; 4:3). On the other hand, selflessness always results in great gain. As Jesus promised, “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:11-12). And after speaking to the self-centered rich young ruler, the Lord Jesus assured: “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first” (Matt. 19:30, KJV).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Other, Perspectives

The Pastor: A Spiritual Shepherd of the Saints

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He’s a professional holy man, they say. He only works two days a week, and never leaves the confines and comforts of his office, as some believe. Some think that he is disconnected from reality, and that the only time he experiences real life is at weddings and funerals. All of these misconceptions and more are associated with the office of pastor. But what is the truth about pastors and what does God say about them in His word?

According to the Scripture, pastors are primarily shepherds of the souls of a local church. His primary task is to feed, lead, protect, and rescue the sheep that God entrusted to him. A pastor is not a CEO or a “church boss.” He is a caretaker of a church’s spiritual health. That is what Peter meant when he commanded pastors, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:2-4).

Pastors are also called to equip and train their congregations so that they might faithfully serve God and others. Contrary to popular belief, ministry is not relegated to the pastor only. Many mistakenly believe that the pastor is responsible for all of the work of ministry. And while he should serve alongside his people, his God-ordained job is to equip members of the church for the work of ministry. Paul wrote, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12).

And the pastor’s principal means of feeding the sheep and equipping the saints is the preaching of the word of God. The Scripture is the believer’s spiritual food, and is the pastor’s role is to prepare a feast for the people to eat (1 Peter 2:2). The Bible is the believer’s training manual for godly living, and the pastor’s task is to guide congregants through it (2 Tim. 3:16-17). He is not called to entertain, share his opinions, or run out the clock by rambling about the ills and ails of society. He is called to preach the Bible, which means explaining, interpreting, and applying what God says in His word. Paul thus commanded pastors, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:1-2).

The pastor’s character is also as crucially important as his calling. He is not free to live anyway he wants. He is called to live an exemplary life, and he may disqualify himself from the office of pastor if he brings reproach upon himself from living sinfully. That’s why the Scripture speaks of qualifications for pastors. Paul gave a lengthy list:

“Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:2-7; cf. Titus 1:5-9).

Will you pray for your pastor, and ask the Lord to help him shepherd faithfully and live holy? Will you hold him accountable to uphold a godly character?

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Growing in Grace | Bible Gleanings | June 15-16, 2024

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A group of tourists visiting a picturesque village walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked him, “Were any great men born in this village?” The old man replied, “Nope, only babies.” His point was that no one is born as a hero or heroine, or someone who joins the annals of renowned history. Everyone starts out at ground level as a crying infant.

And that’s how you start out as a born-again believer as well. You aren’t born as a Christian adult, but as a babe in Christ (1 Cor. 3:1). You take baby steps on the narrow road that leads to life, and you eventually start to run the race of redemption (Heb. 12:1). You drink the milk of God’s word until you can mature and feast on the meat of truth (1 Peter 2:2; Heb. 5:12).

And while we start out this way, we must not stay this way. It is God’s will that we grow in Christ as believers. We must “no longer be children,” commanded Paul in Ephesians 4, “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (4:15a). We must “grow up” into salvation and give up “childish ways” (1 Peter 2:2; 1 Cor. 13:11). And we must “graduate” from the elementary school of faith, moving on from the ABCs of the Christian life to the deeper things of God (Heb. 6:1-3).

Therefore, the Lord commands all believers: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). We are exhorted to always seek a deeper understanding of Christ and to experience His grace more fully. We should never settle with what we already know and who we are right now. Rather, we should strive for continual growth and constant progress in spiritual maturity.

And the measure of our growth in grace is fruitfulness. Growing crops produce fruit and growing Christians produce spiritual fruit. Thus, all believers should be a good tree that “bringeth forth good fruit” (cf. Matt. 7:16-18). When you abide in the True Vine, you will bear “spiritual produce” that points people to its source, which is the Lord Jesus (John 15:1-8). If you possess the Holy Spirit and let Him possess you, you will bear fruits of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance” (Gal. 5:22-23, KJV).

Therefore, our daily prayer should sound like the words of Growing in Grace, a hymn penned by Edmund S. Lorenz (1854-1942) which pleads, 

“Help me Saviour, more each day,

Gladly Thy sweet will obey;

More and more Thy love display,

Oh, help me grow in grace!

Growing in grace ev’ry day,

Growing in grace ev’ry hour,

Help me Saviour, Thou hast pow’r,

To ever grow in grace.”

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.