By God's Grace, I Have.
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| Ruling and Teaching Elders, ordaining me to the office of a pastor. |
"Have you been induced, as far as you know your own heart,
to seek the office of the holy ministry from love to God and a
sincere desire to promote His glory in the Gospel of His Son?"
This fifth vow asked of a candidate for ordination, is significantly different from the rest. While the other questions are designed to elicit commitments from a pastor as to what he will do or adhere to, this vow asks of the hearer to affirm what he has experienced, what has been done for him; it seeks the motivation rather than the response.
Has it been my love for God and my desire to promote his glory alone that has driven me to pursue being a pastor? This is a particularly good question because it speaks not only to how I must enter the ministry, but also to how I must proceed in ministry as well. What a challenge to consider! To be completely honest, I would have to say no, not always. Go ahead, imagine what other motives I might have...chances are you won't be far off. There are a thousand other thoughts that have played into this! And yet, at the same time, I cannot deny God's leading. If I enter this calling out of my own desire for advancement, it will certainly not get me very far. If I enter this calling out any fancifully philanthropic goals, I'll simply burn out. The only way to enter this calling is to do so out of a sincere love of God and pursuit of his glory. As such the only response that I can give is "by God's grace, I have." This isn't to claim the proper motives myself, but to own the fact that because of the way HE has engaged my life with his grace, I am convinced of his leadership and call. That said, I am simultaneously humbled and emboldened in this calling, am thrilled to have made it through the process, and am excited to see how God will lead us forward!
Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who have prayed for, encouraged, and supported me along the way; the journey's far from over, but this milestone was a big one. Thank you for being with me in it!
- Drew
PS - Lindsey, my lovely bride, has done more than I can communicate to make this possible. She grounds me when I get flustered, redirects me to God's glory when I get distracted, and soothes me when I get overwhelmed. My love and my partner, I couldn't ask for a more wonderful wife!
This fifth vow asked of a candidate for ordination, is significantly different from the rest. While the other questions are designed to elicit commitments from a pastor as to what he will do or adhere to, this vow asks of the hearer to affirm what he has experienced, what has been done for him; it seeks the motivation rather than the response.
Has it been my love for God and my desire to promote his glory alone that has driven me to pursue being a pastor? This is a particularly good question because it speaks not only to how I must enter the ministry, but also to how I must proceed in ministry as well. What a challenge to consider! To be completely honest, I would have to say no, not always. Go ahead, imagine what other motives I might have...chances are you won't be far off. There are a thousand other thoughts that have played into this! And yet, at the same time, I cannot deny God's leading. If I enter this calling out of my own desire for advancement, it will certainly not get me very far. If I enter this calling out any fancifully philanthropic goals, I'll simply burn out. The only way to enter this calling is to do so out of a sincere love of God and pursuit of his glory. As such the only response that I can give is "by God's grace, I have." This isn't to claim the proper motives myself, but to own the fact that because of the way HE has engaged my life with his grace, I am convinced of his leadership and call. That said, I am simultaneously humbled and emboldened in this calling, am thrilled to have made it through the process, and am excited to see how God will lead us forward!
Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who have prayed for, encouraged, and supported me along the way; the journey's far from over, but this milestone was a big one. Thank you for being with me in it!
- Drew
PS - Lindsey, my lovely bride, has done more than I can communicate to make this possible. She grounds me when I get flustered, redirects me to God's glory when I get distracted, and soothes me when I get overwhelmed. My love and my partner, I couldn't ask for a more wonderful wife!
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