One of my reels has a broken bail spring. I looked on YouTube to see how I can fix it. WOW, there is so much info about so many things, COOL. There is really great technology in a spinning reel and it requires expert knowledge to design, machine, assemble and repair one. But in this information age, almost anyone can do maintenance, if they follow directions on the internet.
Then again, all of life is like this. It is complicated; it is fragile, it is in need of maintenance and repair. So where do we go for help? The answers are legion, since the needs are plenteous, such as medical doctors for physical needs, financial advisers for economics, coaches for sports, mechanics for machines.
But let me narrow it down quickly to basic maintenance for relationships, attitudes, ethics, dignity, decorum, civility, morality, marriage, parenting, home life, socializing, alliances and a host of other personal needs.
God has given us His word, His Spirit, godly parents, teachers mentors, and pastors. With all of the problems and breakdowns that we face throughout our lives, we need constant, on-call help. God does lead individuals, but He also uses shepherds to guide.
DON'T TAKE PASTORAL LEADERSHIP SO NEGATIVELY or as A PERSONAL ATTACK.
Be willing to listen, learn and live by the godly instruction God provides through preaching, teaching, counsel, correction. If you have a pastor you trust then you should be able to receive his spiritual feeding at least as confidently as you receive your favorite dish at your favorite restaurant. If he loves you, he only wants to tell you truth that helps you. If he loves God and knows God's word, he will tell you things that are to your benefit. If you are suspicious or you distrust your pastor, you either need to get right with God or you need to get a pastor who is trustworthy.
The devil wants parishioners to doubt their pastors. Satan seeks to make the pastor untrustworthy, but if he cannot do that, he makes the parishioner a critic. In either case, the authority of the word of God, in a person's life, is overruled by Satan. The relationship between the shepherd and the sheep should be a loving, trusting relationship, not an antagonistic one.
