“It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work of telling his Good News to others, and so we never give up.”

God loves you. You may preach that message week after week but still struggle to believe it. If you’re like most pastors, you can get pretty discouraged by the unique stresses of pastoral ministry—the unfair criticisms, the feelings of all eyes being on you, and the constant demands at all times of the day.   

Plus, you make mistakes and experience failures just like anyone else. It’s easy to convince yourself you don’t deserve the love and mercy of God. 

If you don’t believe God loves you, then you can’t experience his grace and mercy.

The best way to defeat discouragement is to remember how much God loves you and to stay focused on that truth.

“It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work of telling his Good News to others, and so we never give up” (2 Corinthians 4:1 TLB).

What is mercy? Mercy is when God gives you what you need, not what you deserve.

Mercy is when God knows every mistake you’ve made and will ever make, and he still gives you every good thing in your life. God’s mercy keeps you going when you feel hopeless, worn down or discouraged.

Many ministry leaders who have been Christians for a long time don’t sense God’s love because they only think God speaks to them in a critical voice. But if the voice you’re listening to is always negative, it’s not God.

God made you to love you. The number one purpose of your life is not your ministry. The number one purpose of your life is not even for you to love God back.

The number one purpose of your life is to let God love you. When you do that and experience his mercy and grace, you’ll be free to pursue his vision for your ministry.

One of the best ways to keep this truth in mind is to connect with other pastors who can remind you of God’s love and mercy when you’re discouraged.