April 1, 2020 (Wednesday)
The first comic books in our country were simply collections of comic strips that had appeared in newspapers. They were mostly humorous. As time went on, they took on new characteristics and began to tell stories of their own.
As a boy of elementary school age, I collected comic books. I had a stack about a foot high that I kept under the bed. I cannot remember now what happened to them. I do know that some of them were first editions that would sell today for a lot of money. But, alas, they are lost to the ages.
Many comic books were famous for their superheroes, like Superman and Batman. For every superhero, however, there were many lesser heroes, most of which have disappeared with the passing of the years. Have you ever heard of Iron Fist, or Quasar? They were heroes of comic book fame, too. But if you are like me, you have never heard their names before.
I got to thinking about the superheroes and the lesser known heroes of comic book fame, and it occurred to me that the ministry is much like that. There are a few ministers whose names are legendary. Everyone knows about them. They are truly famous. Then there are the lesser known full-time ministers who are known in their part of their state or county. Finally, there are thousands of ministers, all over the country, who are known mostly in their own congregations.
In many ways, these bi-vocational ministers are the true heroes of the faith. They serve without much recognition, with very little pay if any, and in small places. When you pray, remember to pray for these thousands of people across the country, many of whom have secular jobs to pay the bills so that they may have a spiritual ministry. May God bless them. I can hardly wait until that great and glorious day when Jesus summons each of them to his side and says, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
(REPRINTED FROM 2008)