Pastors - You Wrong Yourself Greatly By Not Reading

“What has exceedingly hurt you in time past, nay, and I fear, to this day, is lack of reading. I scarce ever knew a preacher who read so little. And perhaps, by neglecting it, you have lost the taste for it. Hence your talent in preaching does not increase. It is just the same as it was seven years ago. It is lively, but not deep; there is little variety; there is no compass of thought. Reading only can supply this, with meditation and daily prayer. You wrong yourself greatly by omitting this. You can never be a deep preacher without it, any more than a thorough Christian. Oh begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercise. You may acquire the taste which you have not; what is tedious at first will afterward be pleasant. Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way; else you will be a trifler all your days, and a petty, superficial preacher. Do justice to your own soul; give it time and means to grow. Do not starve yourself any longer. Take up your cross and be a Christian altogether. Then will all the children of God rejoice (not grieve) over you, and in particular yours.”

--John Wesley, writing to a younger minister, quoted in D. A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge, Letters Along The Way

HT: Ray Ortlund

Ray Ortlund on Gospel Militancy

Ray Ortlund had a great post yesterday on Gospel Militancy, explaining how the gospel of loving one's enemy fits with the biblical sentiment accompanied by verses such as Psalm 139:21, "Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? Do I not loathe those who rise up against you?" Here are the six explanations he gave.

One, gospel militancy is not personally spiteful.

Two, gospel militancy recognizes that Christ has real enemies.

Three, gospel militancy is (1) required by love for Christ and (2) compatible with love for his enemies.

Four, gospel militancy includes self-criticism.

Five, gospel militancy accepts suffering.

Six, gospel militancy is sustained by quiet confidence in the final triumph of Christ.

Click here to read the entire post (and see his elaboration of each point).

Edwards on Pride and Humility

An excellent quote from Jonathan Edwards on the difference between spiritual pride and Christian humility:

Spiritual pride tends to speak of other persons’ sins with bitterness or with laughter and levity and an air of contempt. But pure Christian humility rather tends either to be silent about these problems or to speak of them with grief and pity. Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others, but a humble Christian is most guarded about himself. He is as suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart. The proud person is apt to find fault with other believers, that they are low in grace, and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are and to be quick to note their deficiencies. But the humble Christian has so much to do at home and sees so much evil in his own heart and is so concerned about it that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts. He is apt to esteem others better than himself.

HT: Ray Ortlund

The Persistent and Gracious Confrontation of the Lord

This post from Ray Ortlund on God's persistent confrontation of Jonah is just too good not to share:

The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea. Jonah 1:4

The lot fell on Jonah. Jonah 1:7

The Lord appointed a great fish. Jonah 1:17

The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time. Jonah 3:1

The Lord God appointed a plant. Jonah 4:6

God appointed a worm. Jonah 4:7

God appointed a scorching east wind. Jonah 4:8

The Lord has more ways of confronting me than I have ways of evading him.

Companions in a Common Misery

Ray Ortlund has an excellent quote on his blog from Luther's Lectures on Romans about how we sinners ought to view one another:

Who then can pride himself over against someone else and claim to be better than he? Especially in view of the fact that he is always capable of doing exactly the same as the other does and, indeed, that he does secretly in his heart before God what the other does openly before men. And so we must never despise anyone who sins but must generously bear with him as a companion in a common misery. We must help one another just as two people caught in the same swamp assist each other. Thus we must "bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). But if we despise the other, we shall both perish in the same swamp.

--Wilhelm Pauck, translator, Luther: Lectures on Romans (Philadelphia, 1961), page 115.