Guest Posting from Rev. Jorge Acevedo: Ministerial stick-to-it-ness

This journal entry was shared with Bishop Dick Wills by The Reverend Jorge Acevedo who is Lead Pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Fort Myers, Florida.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:14-“Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.”

Observation: In both 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul’s tone is urgent and intense.At the end of 2 Timothy, Paul lets the cat out of the bag when he acknowledges that he is near the end of his life. Therein lies fuel for Paul’s urgency and intensity. The overall theme to both letters seems to be a strong admonition to not give up, but to stay faithful to the calling and ministry given to Timothy. This swan song drips with ministerial stick-to-it-ness. Here Paul uses the metaphor of a guard. How ironic! Paul is in jail because he is an ambassador for Jesus. He is guarded night and day. He knows what diligence looks like. Roman soldiers neither flinch nor fail. They stay on duty at all times. Paul tells Timothy to protect the precious thing. It’s his ministry that needs constant diligence. Paul knows that without this diligence, Timothy could easily drift away or whittle away his high calling for Jesus.

Application: It’s so easy for calling to become a career. Denominational categories can become rungs on a ladder. Like crabs in a crab pot, pastors can degenerate into corporate robots fighting to be top dog. How sad! My own lust for power, prestige, and prominence can win the day if I let it, but I’m charged with a higher calling. I see and hear my name spoken from the lips of the elder statesman, Paul, “Jorge, guard the precious gift of your calling and your ministry. Do not sell it to the highest bidder.Resist making your all a career. Lay it on the line every day. Be faithful.You stand in the lineage of women and men of God like Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Francis Asbury, John Wesley, Fanny Crosby, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Augustine, and Timothy. Remember your roots my son, stay faithful.”

Prayer: What a powerful word, O God. I’m humbled by your entrustment. Give me the grace of Jesus and the power of Your Spirit to faithfully discharge the work of ministry. Amen.