Moment of Meditation: Not a Lover of Money (1 Timothy 3:3)

[The pastor must be] not a lover of money.
(1 Timothy 3:3)

Not a Lover of Money

Except for those you see on television asking for donations to keep their ministries on the air, no one becomes a pastor because they're going to make a lot of money. You don't see pastors signing contracts to preach for $20 million a year. For many, if they get $20,000, they consider themselves blessed.

While St. Paul does write, "Those who proclaim the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14), pastors should have their ministry be the primary source of their income. But pastors aren't to become greedy with their congregations and say that they DESERVE to be paid more than they are. In this economy, some churches are lucky to barely survive by paying their pastor a nominal wage.

The pastor doesn't work for the money. He works for the ministry of God's Word. Ministry is a service by nature. It's not done by those who love money. It's done by those who love the Lord. Amen.