I Thessalonians 5:12,13

I Thessalonians 5:12,13 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. The old Apostle Paul tells the people at Thessalonica that they should get along with one another. But they should respect those who are their pastors. Being a pastor is a hard job. The pastor is on call 24/7. When a member is rushed to the hospital, who do they expect to be there? You got it: the pastor. When there is a cancer diagnosis, who do they want to see? You got it: the pastor. When a child runs away or a family splits up threatening divorce, who do they call? You got it: the pastor. So Paul tells the church that they should esteem the pastor. The word esteem means to revere or to honor. It is as if you have a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth. You would put it in a special place up on your bookshelf in a glass case. You would esteem that baseball. And so it is with our pastor. We should respect him and honor him. And when we do, God will bless us.