You Need Him and You Need Others
“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” - John 5:30
A pastor who happened to be a single father attended a much-needed pastor’s retreat. And during the question & answer period, he raised his hand to ask the facilitator about a struggle he was having.
He said before the group, “I feel like a failure as a father. My wife is deceased, and the demands of ministry keep me away from my twelve-year-old son. His teacher at school told me his grades were impacted by his mother’s death, and I needed to spend more time with him. So, I planned an evening with my boy. When school was over, I had already prepared his favorite meal, and we were about to sit down to eat when the phone rang.
It was the chairman of our deacons. His wife had just had a stroke, and I needed to meet them at the hospital. Before I could apologize to my son, the phone rang again. It was the wife of a young couple whom I had just married, and she was in tears, screaming that her husband was leaving; he was on his way out the door. I looked at my son and apologized to him sorely, and then proceeded to head to the hospital to be with the deacon and his wife, then rushed over to the home of that couple.
When I got home it was after midnight, and when I walked into my room, there was my son, asleep on my bed with his head on my pillow. When I pulled off his shoes and was about to pull the covers up over him, I was struck to see the pillow was soaked with his tears.”
The facilitator calmly replied to the man by saying, “Sir, you’re not failing as a father, you’re failing as a pastor! Because if you are the only person in your ministry who can go and help these people, you will soon burn out and be good to no one.”
Can you relate? John 5:30 is a good reminder, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” We cannot do it all alone. We need God and we need others. Who do you seek help from? If the answer is “no one,” you may want to get help before you HAVE to get help.
A pastor who happened to be a single father attended a much-needed pastor’s retreat. And during the question & answer period, he raised his hand to ask the facilitator about a struggle he was having.
He said before the group, “I feel like a failure as a father. My wife is deceased, and the demands of ministry keep me away from my twelve-year-old son. His teacher at school told me his grades were impacted by his mother’s death, and I needed to spend more time with him. So, I planned an evening with my boy. When school was over, I had already prepared his favorite meal, and we were about to sit down to eat when the phone rang.
It was the chairman of our deacons. His wife had just had a stroke, and I needed to meet them at the hospital. Before I could apologize to my son, the phone rang again. It was the wife of a young couple whom I had just married, and she was in tears, screaming that her husband was leaving; he was on his way out the door. I looked at my son and apologized to him sorely, and then proceeded to head to the hospital to be with the deacon and his wife, then rushed over to the home of that couple.
When I got home it was after midnight, and when I walked into my room, there was my son, asleep on my bed with his head on my pillow. When I pulled off his shoes and was about to pull the covers up over him, I was struck to see the pillow was soaked with his tears.”
The facilitator calmly replied to the man by saying, “Sir, you’re not failing as a father, you’re failing as a pastor! Because if you are the only person in your ministry who can go and help these people, you will soon burn out and be good to no one.”
Can you relate? John 5:30 is a good reminder, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” We cannot do it all alone. We need God and we need others. Who do you seek help from? If the answer is “no one,” you may want to get help before you HAVE to get help.
Subscribe Now for Free Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2025
January
Plenty of RoomThankful for Your SeatWho God Invites to the TableThat’s the PointWe Do Not Have a Monopoly on GodStop Talking So LoudLet God Handle the Guest ListA Long-Awaited ReunionSeeing Jesus for YourselfIn Possession of a Personal PromiseGet in the Right PositionReady to ReceiveAligning Your Life for God's PromiseWaiting with ExpectancyGrounded in PrayerStrength in PrayerPatience Through PrayerStay Focused Through PrayerGod's Conditional PromisesGod’s PriorityGrounded in FaithTrusting God's TimingThe Assurance of God's PromisesIs It Well With Your Soul?Health vs. HealingStewarding Your BodyA Holistic View of SpiritualityGod Cares About Your BodyWhat You Put in MattersNourishing Your SoulThe Power of Prevention
February
The Power of a ComebackHealing from the PastStop Blaming and Start TrustingBury the Past to Claim the FutureFacing Trauma with TruthCelebrate That You SurvivedRepair What is BrokenNothing God Can’t FixDon’t Swing at Bad PitchesStick to God’s PlanDon’t Let Desperation Drive YouShift Your WeightWho Knows Best?A Good Idea Isn’t Always a God IdeaPeace in God’s PlanFinding Purpose in God’s PlanProsperity in God’s PlanTrusting God’s Plan, Pace, and ProcessKnowing When to PivotGod Hasn’t Given Up on YouNext-Level Faith Requires PerseveranceA New Revelation of GodIt’s Not All About YouNext-Level ConnectionsNext-Level CommitmentA Prayer That Moves GodPrayers That Carry a BurdenPray With Boldness
March
A Solid FoundationPositioned for BlessingMarked by LoveTrust God's JudgmentRest in God's DeliveranceLet Go of ControlWhat You Want MostWhy Church Still MattersFaith in the Midst of DisappointmentJoy for the JourneyA Place of SafetyStrength in CommunityPeace in the ChaosThe Purpose of the ValleySeasons ChangeUnshaken in the StormHold OnThe Power of ResilienceNever AloneGod Is Closer Than You ThinkLet Go of WorryLet Go of WorryBelieve Before You SeeResilient FaithHow to Be a Success God's WayTrue Success Starts with the SoulSuccess Through SurrenderCharacter That Speaks for ItselfThe Power of Being RealKeep GrowingSuccess in the Face of Opposition
No Comments