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A few weeks back, I wrote a post on the topic of Female Leaders in the church environment. The topic was sparked in my mind by having visited a number of churches in the recent past, and being taught/preached to by a female leader within some of these churches. You may want to refer to my previous thoughts – See Let Me Tell You a Story – Female Leaders.

This past weekend, my wife and I were out of the city and ended up in a tiny town, with a small community church near by. We were a bit early for service, and decided to go in to meet some of the believers.

What a friendly group! Granted, the congregation was very small, but they were so very friendly! It was a bit unbalancing. Don’t get me wrong – it was a blessing to be around folks that were accepting, willing to enter into a conversation with strangers, just to chat. A real blessing!

We were there a half hour before a layman mentioned a Pastor, and that he was an older gentleman, with a heart condition. Eventually, we met him, and he appeared to be a fine believer, seeking to honor the Lord, yet he appeared very weak, almost fragile.

Not a few minutes later, his wife appeared and started to introduce herself. One of the first things discussed was that though her husband was the executive pastor, she was the preaching pastor.

My wife and I looked at each other, considering our past visits with lady preachers, and the coincidence of it all. Coincidence? Or is it that there are more women leaders in the church than we imagined? Nevertheless, I am not intending to rehash my thoughts on the previous post. My readers do not need to have that repeated over again!

No – as we were sitting there, and especially as the service came to a close, I could not help but think of the passage in Jeremiah, where his servant Baruch is rebuked. Let’s read it and I will try to explain my thoughts.

Jeremiah 45:1-5

1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch:
3 You said, ‘Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.’
4 Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up–that is, the whole land.
5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the LORD. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.”

With Baruch, he was a servant to the weeping prophet, in the days when God was tearing down the nation, plucking up the vine He planted centuries ago. Baruch had suffered with Jeremiah, being a servant to God in the midst of a very depressing, forlorn time in Israel’s history. Babylon was on the march, and Israel was about to be consumed, destroyed and carted off to a foreign land.

Notice that in verse 2, Baruch had been speaking of his grief, and the added sorrow, that he was fainting and found no rest. He was exhausted. It is interesting that in Baruch’s complaint, He refers to himself 5 times in the short verse.

You said, ‘Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.’

A bit later, the Lord speaks of Baruch’s seeking of great things. Might Baruch have thought his life would turn out to be filled with glory, fame, reputation and possibly riches? No idea what exactly Baruch was dreaming of, but the Lord exposed his hopes, and rebuked him in them. He reminded Baruch of his circumstances and that time would only get worse. Get prepared Baruch for more disappointment. Quit looking for status, reputation riches position etc…. God is tearing things down!

And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not..

Baruch’s brother had attained to high ranking status under Zedekiah! An officer of high rank (Jeremiah 51:59). Yet Baruch was aligned with Jeremiah, a man of God. A prophet that was bringing a message of doom and captivity. For Baruch, he would not attain to “great things”, for he knew the future of the nation, and that it was doomed. Thinking of attaining great things, dwelling on these dreams of grandeur only wore him out, wearing on his spirit, bringing greater disappointment. God was essentially telling Baruch to live in the real world!

She did not preach on this passage, and it is not for me to repeat her message at this time, though portions of her message was much different than I originally expected. No, it was the appearance of superiority that seemed to exude from her that got me to thinking of the passage above.

I walked away from that meeting, after listening to this lady preaching, thinking she is dreaming of great things for herself, and, in a way, I surely hope her dreams are met in the will of God. Yet the message and the delivery she provided, when compared with her surroundings, brought about a conflict in my mind. Was she seeking great things for herself? Great things that would lift her to positions of power, to areas of influence, to exercising great gifts and mighty powers?

In reality, she was in a real fine little church, with very friendly congregants, and a humble godly man for a husband that had served the Lord for decades. Yet her heart seemed to be seeking for greater things, things of glory and status. Of course, I may be completely wrong, for we can not judge intent or motivations, but the brief time we were there led me to this conclusion.

What to make of this experience?

Be content in the situation God has placed you in. Be thankful for His many blessings. Live in the real world, the situations you have been placed in, the circumstances that surround you, and honor God.

This teaching is so prevalent in the Word, Although Paul’s topic in the New Testament is regarding marriage for believers, the summary statement he provides is applicable for us tonight.

1 Corinthians 7:24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

Do not seek great things for yourself! Seek Him and let Him take you where He wants you.

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