Stand Where You Are Called
“I was not a prophet,” Amos replied, “nor was I the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore-fig trees.”
Amos 7:14
“I was not a prophet,” Amos replied, “nor was I the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore-fig trees.”
Morning Word from Pastor Peter Sunagawa
🌄 Good morning
This morning’s Bible Word is… 📖
Amos 7:14.
…
“I was not a prophet,” Amos replied, “nor was I the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore-fig trees.”
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
Certainly, Amos had not received formal training to become a prophet.
He was simply a shepherd and a farmer.
But Amos became convinced of God’s calling and stood up to answer it.
…
Whenever I read this passage,
I find myself thinking that I am a little like him 🤔
❗️
…
If I remember correctly, it was around 1981.
At that time Pastor Matsubara was serving at Tokyo Central Church.
He was a truly respected pastor, and one day I shared my own thoughts with him about what a pastor should be like in the future.
I remember that it turned into a debate 😰💦
…
I was only about twenty years old, arguing with an older pastor… 😓
I think I was arrogant,
but my basic conviction has not changed even now ❗️
…
His view was that a young person should graduate from school, dedicate himself to ministry, live and study together at Bible college, graduate, and then be sent directly to serve as a pastor in a church.
…
I would not give in.
I insisted that a pastor needs a certain amount of experience living and working in society ❗️ 😨💧
…
After that I became a working adult, but that “certain amount” became a long time… and when I had almost given up, I was called in my fifties… 😵
…
There are many things I am grateful for in becoming a pastor,
but my experience in society has truly helped me in pastoral ministry.
Jesus also worked as a carpenter before beginning His public ministry around the age of thirty and helped support His household.
Because of experiencing the worries, hardship, sorrow, betrayal… ✝️ and pain 😖 of people living in society, we can understand the struggles people face in life ❗️
That is why He was able to save you.
Shalom 😃
This English page is a translation of the Japanese Morning Word published by At Home Church Okinawa. The Scripture quotation is from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).