Enjoying the Journey
Posts Tagged ‘critics’
Stop Blaming The Pastor
We all want someone to blame. When things go wrong in life – and they inevitably do – it is human nature to point the finger at someone else who failed to do their part. Typically the person who bears the greatest blame is the leader. That is true in a family, in a church, and in government. And while there is no doubt that leaders often fail it has become socially acceptable and sadly commonplace to put all blame on the man at the front. But is that always true? I heard a lady last week mockingly blame the failure of her marriage on the pastor who married she and her husband many years ago. He must not have…
Read MoreResponding To The Critic
Dr. Mike Edwards served for 37 years as the pastor of the Heritage Baptist Church in Woodbridge, VA. He is a man of wisdom and a great encouragement to those who are serving the Lord. I am very grateful to call him my friend and happy to pass along this helpful article. He and his wife are now traveling in ministry, seeking to encourage other churches and couples in the Lord’s work. You may find more information on their work at sharepointministries.com. As a younger pastor I am not sure I was fully prepared for just how critical some people could be concerning my leadership and my service. After forty-three years of ministry I have now come to understand that criticism is part of the servant leader’s life. Ministry life is truly life in…
Read MoreThank God for Your Critics!
It is inevitable that critics will come. If you obey God there will be some man who does not understand. And the critics are not always foes – sometimes they are friends and family. Even Jesus said to Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Sincere people can serve as the enemy’s mouthpiece. It is not your critics who make the difference – it is your attitude toward them. We all want to defend ourselves. To prove them wrong. To be right. But, what if the negative is actually a positive? Criticism is always hurtful, sometimes unfair, and occasionally exactly what we need to hear. Regardless, it helps if you can see the Lord at work in the midst of criticism and…
Read MoreHandling Criticism
I like to be liked. So do you! There is a great danger in seeking to please men – desiring to gain their compliments and avoid their criticism. “The fear of man bringeth a snare” (Proverbs 29:25). Living for the praise of men is empty. Accolades and acknowledgment do not bring fulfillment. Beware! Compliments will make you a man of men, not a man of God. Listening to others boast of you is just as deadly as boasting of yourself. Dr. Lee Roberson used to say that we must “die to compliments and criticism.” Both tend to rouse the flesh. Men who walk in the Spirit cannot afford to listen to the flesh, whether it speaks positively or negatively. You…
Read More
