O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thoughts from afar. – Psalm 139: 1-2
I was talking to a fellow last Monday at the gym about his work and mine. He knows that I’m a pastor, and so when I told him that it was my “day off” he smiled: “Your day off? I guess that means you don’t have to save any souls today!” “Oh, saving souls is not my job,” I said, “being a pastor is my job. Caring about souls is my calling.” To be more theologically precise, I should have said, “Saving souls is God’s job” but that seemed too complicated to explain at the moment.
What made his comment noteworthy was the fact that he had just told me, not more than two minutes before, that he had been diagnosed with an incurable cancer. He was hopeful because the doctor had said it was manageable; but as he spoke I felt for him, as most anyone would. He’s a very intelligent man, someone who helps others in his line of work...