Sober or Somber?
For a bishop must be . . . sober-minded . . . . (Titus 1:7-8 NKJV)
A pastor needs to be sober-minded. In other words, he's calm, sensitive, and deliberate when it comes to the serious things of life. He adjusts his demeanor when the situation requires it so that he's effective with those whom he serves. If a member of his flock has lost a loved one, he's not trite or insincere. When someone begins to confess a struggle with sin, he doesn't tease, joke, or belittle. A godly minister understands the increased importance of acting soberly in such cases.
But notice that a bishop should be sober-minded and not somber-minded, and there's a big difference. Although a sober-minded minister has the ability to be serious, he also knows the proper time for light-heartedness and laughter:
A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 NKJV)
In contrast, a somber-minded minister sees everything as being equally serious, and consequently, he never knows how or when to lighten up. It feels like a funeral every time he stands before the congregation and shares. There's an unhealthy imbalance in the way he represents the Lord and in the way he interacts with people. Before long this somber spirit infects the congregation and the church goes into spiritual hibernation.
What about you? Are you sober or somber? Do you know the difference between the serious and the light things of life? Can you ease up and enjoy yourself on a regular basis? Or is everything so serious that you're constantly weighed down by the worries of the world? It's high time the church regained its balance between being sober-minded when to comes to serious things and being light-hearted when it comes to things we should enjoy.
DIG - What's the difference between being sober and being somber?
DISCOVER - How would you grade yourself when it comes to being sober-minded?
DISPLAY - Make a list of things that you need to lighten up about, then commit your list to prayer.
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At the age of 24, Bob Coy left a coveted position in the music industry to serve as an associate pastor with Calvary Chapel of Las Vegas. In 1985, Bob and his wife, Diane, moved to Fort Lauderdale and began Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale. As senior pastor, he has become well known for his unique style in expounding the Scriptures, making them come alive and relate to those of us living in the 21st century. His teaching style emphasizes the believer's "life application" of the highest standards of God's truth while his delivery captures the loving heart of God's Spirit.
Pastor Bob has had the rare privilege of watching God's miraculous hand move in the individual lives of those in the fellowship as well as the corporate body as a whole. From the first meeting in a living room with four in attendance, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale has now become home to over 17,000 men and women from the tri-county area, and ranks as the eighth largest church in the country. Though many have tried to attribute its rapid growth to numerous reasons, no one is more surprised by the phenomenon than Pastor Bob, who gives total credit and all the glory to God alone.
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