Last week we looked at the role of the pastor-teacher, and an essential point to keep in mind is that no-one deserves the right to be a pastor. It is a position that can only be fulfilled by the grace of God. Paul said, "By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10), and this applies to each one of us, whether pastor or not. If we will stand securely, we must stand in the grace of God. We each have the tendency to try and stand in our own strength, and that never works. Remember Peter walking on the water. His first steps were in faith, because he asked Christ to command Peter to come to him. And Christ said, in command form, "Come." Faith must stand upon the will of God, and Peter's faith initially did. But then he became afraid and thought that he was doing it on his own. As he began to try and stand in his own strength he failed and began to sink. Our own strength is weak compared to God's. But the good news is that the grace of God is stronger and greater than we could ever imagine. In his grace, God not only forgives our sins but also gives us a new life, with a new heart, and a new self. And this new man is stronger than our old man, or our old self. He is created by God to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24). – Pastor David Packer