Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
THAT’S WHAT CHRISTIANS DO NOW
The following is a poem I wrote based on an article written by Dr. Donald E. Wildmon of the same title.
THAT’S WHAT CHRISTIANS DO NOW
Luke 9:23 says, “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.’”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and watch television. That’s what Christians do now.
Matthew 28:19-20 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and play on the computer. That’s what Christians do now.
Luke 10:2 says, “And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and play video games. That’s what Christians do now.
1 Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and complain about how long the sermon was. That’s what Christians do now.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and talk on the phone and text message. That’s what Christians do now.
2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and take a nap. That’s what Christians do now.
1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and act and talk just like the world. That’s what Christians do now.
James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and try to think of something to do so I won’t be bored. That’s what Christians do now.
James 1:22 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and do nothing. That’s what Christians do now.
THAT’S WHAT CHRISTIANS DO NOW
Luke 9:23 says, “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.’”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and watch television. That’s what Christians do now.
Matthew 28:19-20 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and play on the computer. That’s what Christians do now.
Luke 10:2 says, “And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and play video games. That’s what Christians do now.
1 Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and complain about how long the sermon was. That’s what Christians do now.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and talk on the phone and text message. That’s what Christians do now.
2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and take a nap. That’s what Christians do now.
1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and act and talk just like the world. That’s what Christians do now.
James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and try to think of something to do so I won’t be bored. That’s what Christians do now.
James 1:22 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and do nothing. That’s what Christians do now.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Don't Judge Me You Stinkin' Hypocrite!!!
Matthew 7:1-5- Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold, the log is in your own eye? Your hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Now, do these verses teach that we are not supposed to judge in any way? Can we not say anything that is perceived as negative to anybody? In other words, can we ever tell anybody that they are wrong? Let's get to the bottom of this judging thing. Let's begin by looking at what these verses do not mean. Then we will see what they do mean.
This does not mean that we cannot say something is a sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22- But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
Romans 12:9- Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to differentiate between evil and goodness. I don't think that anybody will argue with this point. From Genesis to Revelation, God tells us what is evil and sinful. He tells us to do this. He tells us not to do this. When God tells us in His Word that something is sinful, we can be confident that it is certainly sinful and wrong. God's Word is very clear on what He considers sin. So, Jesus did not mean that we cannot say something is wrong. We most certainly can and God repeatedly commands us to make the distinction between good and evil. So, this kind of judging is okay.
This does not mean that we have no right to point out false teaching.
2 John 9-11- Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
Matthew 7:15, 20- Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Jude 3- Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Titus 1:9- Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
A lot of people think that we don’t have a right to correct somebody that is teaching something that is incorrect. These verses and others take away that myth. We are commanded to judge whether what somebody teaches is Biblical or not. Not only that, we are supposed to point out their false teachings and correct them. God takes false teachings very seriously. That is why we have to judge whether a teaching or a teacher is teaching the correct thing. We can’t sit by and let people be deceived. John went so far to say that you should not receive a false teacher in your house. This kind of judging is also okay. It is not only okay, but we are commanded to point out false teachings.
This doesn't mean that we are not supposed to talk to unbelievers about sin.
Matthew 28:19-20- Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Luke 24:47- And that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
We could look at a multitude of Scriptures on this one, but we'll settle for these two potent reminders. These verses and many others let us know that we are to take Christ's teachings to the whole world. Not only are we to take Christ's teachings to the world, but we are also supposed to call people to repent (turn from their sins to God). We are commanded to call people to turn from their sins. The Scriptures are clear on this one as well. We are supposed to share God's Word with all people. It doesn't matter what their nationality or religion is. We are commanded to call them to repent. So once again, this kind of judging is okay.
This doesn't mean that we cannot confront sin in the life of a fellow believer.
Matthew 18:15-17- If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Leviticus 19:17- You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
Proverbs 27:6- Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
Galatians 6:1- Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
A lot of people think that they don’t have any business to confront sin in the life of a believer. We are commanded to confront it, though. Jesus gave us a process of confronting sin that can potentially end pretty severely. Some think it is hateful to confront sin, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is the loving thing to do. If you don’t confront sin in the lives of fellow Christians, then you are not really loving them. We can’t sit by and let them destroy their lives and their witness for Christ. So, this kind of judging is okay, too.
THEN WHAT DOES “DO NOT JUDGE” REALLY MEAN?
We have to remember that Matthew 7 took place during the Sermon on the Mount. The whole way through that sermon, Christ was comparing the way the Pharisees (and other "religious" people of the day) practiced their religion and how true believers were supposed to. Pharisees were some of the most critical, malicious, judgmental people on the face of the planet. They enjoyed making themselves look good by making others look bad. They were very good at pointing out other people's faults, but they never dealt with their own. They also excelled at making up their own standards while ignoring the standards of Scripture.
Jesus was really getting to the heart of the matter. One of the biggest things Jesus stressed during that sermon was our motives and our heart's desires. The Pharisees desire was to belittle others. They would gossip, slander, and talk about others. That made them feel "super-religious". That is what Jesus is condemning. That is why he said that they were trying to take a speck out of their brother's eye, yet they had a log in their own eye. They had a bigger problem than the people they were criticizing. But, Jesus didn't stop there. He went on to say that if they took the log out of their own eye, they would see clearly to take the speck out of their brother's eye. It is okay to try and take the speck out of somebody's eye. First, you need to examine yourself, though. We need to carefully inspect our own life and make sure our motives and actions are sincere.
Did you notice that when Jesus said we are supposed to confront a brother in sin, He said to do it privately? That is the exact opposite of how the Pharisees handled things. We are not supposed to be spreading gossip to everybody and their brother. We are supposed to confont them privately and discreetly. How does Galatians 6:1 tell us to approach them? "In a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." Do you see? It is all about our motives and the way we handle the situation. We are supposed to confont sin. How do we do it? Quietly, gently, and with much love (and only after much self-examination). If confronting them privately does not work, then we are supposed to bring the issue to the church (Matthew 18).
When we follow God's guidelines on judging, then it is not us who is doing the judging. It is God's Word. We are not to be like the Pharisees and make up our own standards. The Word of God is the standard by which we should judge and the standard by which we are judged.
P.S. Why is it that the ones who always say "Don't judge me" are the ones who have been caught in sin? Maybe instead of complaining about people judging us, we should examine ourselves, seek God's forgiveness, and turn from our sins... That would be the godly response to somebody judging us. Lord help us to have that attitude...
Proverbs 15:32- Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
Proverbs 1:7- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Now, do these verses teach that we are not supposed to judge in any way? Can we not say anything that is perceived as negative to anybody? In other words, can we ever tell anybody that they are wrong? Let's get to the bottom of this judging thing. Let's begin by looking at what these verses do not mean. Then we will see what they do mean.
This does not mean that we cannot say something is a sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22- But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
Romans 12:9- Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to differentiate between evil and goodness. I don't think that anybody will argue with this point. From Genesis to Revelation, God tells us what is evil and sinful. He tells us to do this. He tells us not to do this. When God tells us in His Word that something is sinful, we can be confident that it is certainly sinful and wrong. God's Word is very clear on what He considers sin. So, Jesus did not mean that we cannot say something is wrong. We most certainly can and God repeatedly commands us to make the distinction between good and evil. So, this kind of judging is okay.
This does not mean that we have no right to point out false teaching.
2 John 9-11- Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
Matthew 7:15, 20- Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Jude 3- Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Titus 1:9- Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
A lot of people think that we don’t have a right to correct somebody that is teaching something that is incorrect. These verses and others take away that myth. We are commanded to judge whether what somebody teaches is Biblical or not. Not only that, we are supposed to point out their false teachings and correct them. God takes false teachings very seriously. That is why we have to judge whether a teaching or a teacher is teaching the correct thing. We can’t sit by and let people be deceived. John went so far to say that you should not receive a false teacher in your house. This kind of judging is also okay. It is not only okay, but we are commanded to point out false teachings.
This doesn't mean that we are not supposed to talk to unbelievers about sin.
Matthew 28:19-20- Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Luke 24:47- And that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
We could look at a multitude of Scriptures on this one, but we'll settle for these two potent reminders. These verses and many others let us know that we are to take Christ's teachings to the whole world. Not only are we to take Christ's teachings to the world, but we are also supposed to call people to repent (turn from their sins to God). We are commanded to call people to turn from their sins. The Scriptures are clear on this one as well. We are supposed to share God's Word with all people. It doesn't matter what their nationality or religion is. We are commanded to call them to repent. So once again, this kind of judging is okay.
This doesn't mean that we cannot confront sin in the life of a fellow believer.
Matthew 18:15-17- If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Leviticus 19:17- You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
Proverbs 27:6- Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
Galatians 6:1- Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
A lot of people think that they don’t have any business to confront sin in the life of a believer. We are commanded to confront it, though. Jesus gave us a process of confronting sin that can potentially end pretty severely. Some think it is hateful to confront sin, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is the loving thing to do. If you don’t confront sin in the lives of fellow Christians, then you are not really loving them. We can’t sit by and let them destroy their lives and their witness for Christ. So, this kind of judging is okay, too.
THEN WHAT DOES “DO NOT JUDGE” REALLY MEAN?
We have to remember that Matthew 7 took place during the Sermon on the Mount. The whole way through that sermon, Christ was comparing the way the Pharisees (and other "religious" people of the day) practiced their religion and how true believers were supposed to. Pharisees were some of the most critical, malicious, judgmental people on the face of the planet. They enjoyed making themselves look good by making others look bad. They were very good at pointing out other people's faults, but they never dealt with their own. They also excelled at making up their own standards while ignoring the standards of Scripture.
Jesus was really getting to the heart of the matter. One of the biggest things Jesus stressed during that sermon was our motives and our heart's desires. The Pharisees desire was to belittle others. They would gossip, slander, and talk about others. That made them feel "super-religious". That is what Jesus is condemning. That is why he said that they were trying to take a speck out of their brother's eye, yet they had a log in their own eye. They had a bigger problem than the people they were criticizing. But, Jesus didn't stop there. He went on to say that if they took the log out of their own eye, they would see clearly to take the speck out of their brother's eye. It is okay to try and take the speck out of somebody's eye. First, you need to examine yourself, though. We need to carefully inspect our own life and make sure our motives and actions are sincere.
Did you notice that when Jesus said we are supposed to confront a brother in sin, He said to do it privately? That is the exact opposite of how the Pharisees handled things. We are not supposed to be spreading gossip to everybody and their brother. We are supposed to confont them privately and discreetly. How does Galatians 6:1 tell us to approach them? "In a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." Do you see? It is all about our motives and the way we handle the situation. We are supposed to confont sin. How do we do it? Quietly, gently, and with much love (and only after much self-examination). If confronting them privately does not work, then we are supposed to bring the issue to the church (Matthew 18).
When we follow God's guidelines on judging, then it is not us who is doing the judging. It is God's Word. We are not to be like the Pharisees and make up our own standards. The Word of God is the standard by which we should judge and the standard by which we are judged.
P.S. Why is it that the ones who always say "Don't judge me" are the ones who have been caught in sin? Maybe instead of complaining about people judging us, we should examine ourselves, seek God's forgiveness, and turn from our sins... That would be the godly response to somebody judging us. Lord help us to have that attitude...
Proverbs 15:32- Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
Proverbs 1:7- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Happy Anniversary Baby, I've Got You on My Mind!!!
Today is a very special day. Thirteen years ago today, Kelli and I said "I do". I have absolutely no idea how she has put up with me for so long. I guess it is just another amazing case of the grace of God! I am so thankful that God has given me such a wonderful woman to spend my life with. It's so hard to try and sum up in words what I feel about my wife, so I am going to post a poem I wrote about her in the last year or so.
A virtuous woman, is there one to be found,
Whose compassion and faithfulness always abound?
More precious than diamonds or the purest of pearls
Her husband’s heart is captured, it is her he adores.
She is completely selfless of heart and puts others first
She looks to her Savior, for His righteousness she thirsts.
When she sees those in need, her heart truly breaks
She will rise up to help, whatever it takes.
Her children and husband have no cares for tomorrow
For her continuous care shields her family from sorrow.
She teaches her children reading, writing, and more
They learn character and integrity from the Word of God she adores.
Her children call her “Mom”, but they mean so much more
From their hearts comes the cry, “She is blessed of the Lord”.
Her husband loves her more than he did at the start
He is living a dream since she captured his heart.
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain
But the light from her heart dispels all the rain.
The fear of the Lord comes first in her life
That fear is what makes her an excellent wife.
Her children rise up to tell her she’s blessed
Her husband calls out she exceeds all the rest.
How can a woman so special be found
Whose compassion and faithfulness always abound?
You can travel the earth and look far and wide
But your search will bring you straight to my bride.
Love,
Your adoring husband
P.S. Kelli wrote a blog today that chronicled "our songs" through the years. My sweetie forgot about one of our songs that sums up our lives quite nicely. I don't know how she could forget this one! ;-)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Master's Plan for Spiritual Leaders
The following is a passage from "The Master's Plan for the Church" by John MacArthur. This has been an incredibly challenging and convicting book.
I believe the Devil attacks spiritual leaders with more severe temptations than most Christians will ever experience. It makes sense that those who lead the forces of truth and light against the kingdom of darkness will experience the strongest opposition from the Enemy.
An unholy pastor is like a stained glass window: a religious symbol that filters out the true light. That's why "above reproach" is the initial qualification for spiritual leadership. The seventeenth-century Puritan Richard Baxter wrote,
"Take heed to yourselves, lest you live in those sins which you preach against in others, and lest you be guilty of that which daily you condemn. Will you make it your work to magnify God, and, when you have done, dishonor him as much as others? Will you proclaim Christ's governing power, and yet condemn it, and rebel yourselves? Will you preach his laws, and willfully break them?
If sin be evil, why do you live in it? If it be not, why do you dissuade men from it? If it be dangerous, how dare you venture on it? If it be not, why do you tell men so? If God's threatenings be true, why do you not fear them? If they be false, why do you needlessly trouble men with them, and put them into such frights without cause?
Do you "know the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death;" and yet will you do them? "Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adlutery," or be drunk, or covetous, art thou such thyself? "Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God?" What! Shall the same tongue speak evil that speakest against evil? Shall those lips censure, and slander, and backbite your neighbor, that cry down these and the like things in others?
Take heed to yourselves, lest you cry down sin, and yet do not overcome it; lest, while you seek to bring it down in others, you bow to it, and become its slave yourselves: "For of whom a man is overcome, the same he is brought into bondage." "To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." O brethren! It is easier to chide at sin, than to overcome it. (The Reformed Pastor, [Carlisle, PA.: Banner of Truth, 1956 reprint], 67-68)
I believe the Devil attacks spiritual leaders with more severe temptations than most Christians will ever experience. It makes sense that those who lead the forces of truth and light against the kingdom of darkness will experience the strongest opposition from the Enemy.
An unholy pastor is like a stained glass window: a religious symbol that filters out the true light. That's why "above reproach" is the initial qualification for spiritual leadership. The seventeenth-century Puritan Richard Baxter wrote,
"Take heed to yourselves, lest you live in those sins which you preach against in others, and lest you be guilty of that which daily you condemn. Will you make it your work to magnify God, and, when you have done, dishonor him as much as others? Will you proclaim Christ's governing power, and yet condemn it, and rebel yourselves? Will you preach his laws, and willfully break them?
If sin be evil, why do you live in it? If it be not, why do you dissuade men from it? If it be dangerous, how dare you venture on it? If it be not, why do you tell men so? If God's threatenings be true, why do you not fear them? If they be false, why do you needlessly trouble men with them, and put them into such frights without cause?
Do you "know the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death;" and yet will you do them? "Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adlutery," or be drunk, or covetous, art thou such thyself? "Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God?" What! Shall the same tongue speak evil that speakest against evil? Shall those lips censure, and slander, and backbite your neighbor, that cry down these and the like things in others?
Take heed to yourselves, lest you cry down sin, and yet do not overcome it; lest, while you seek to bring it down in others, you bow to it, and become its slave yourselves: "For of whom a man is overcome, the same he is brought into bondage." "To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." O brethren! It is easier to chide at sin, than to overcome it. (The Reformed Pastor, [Carlisle, PA.: Banner of Truth, 1956 reprint], 67-68)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Properity Gospel???
Mark 8:34-36: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
A Wake-Up Call to Pastors
I've been reading a book called "The Master's Plan for the Church", by John MacArthur. It has been very convicting, but two paragraphs in particular have really made me stop and think.
1. J. Oswald Sanders writes that if a man "is unwilling to pay the price of fatigue for his leadership, it will always be mediocre" (Spiritual Leadership, p. 175). He also says, "True leadership always exacts a heavy toll on the whole man, and the more effective the leadership is, the higher the price to be paid" (p. 169). Because we understand the urgency of our ministry, we will not mitigate that price. Weariness, loneliness, struggle, rising early, staying up late, and forgoing pleasures all come with excellence.
2. Richard Baxter (1615-1691) wrote that the ministerial work, "must be managed laboriously and diligently, being of such unspeakable consequence to others and ourselves. We are seeking to uphold the world, to save it from the curse of God, to perfect the creation, to attain the ends of Christ's redemption, to save ourselves and others from damnation, to overcome the devil, and demolish his kingdom, and set up the kingdom of Christ, and attain and help others to the kingdom of glory. And are these works to be done with a careless mind or a slack hand? O see then that this work be done with all your might! Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow. (The Reformed Pastor [London: James Nisbet and Co., 1860 reprint], 164-65)
1. J. Oswald Sanders writes that if a man "is unwilling to pay the price of fatigue for his leadership, it will always be mediocre" (Spiritual Leadership, p. 175). He also says, "True leadership always exacts a heavy toll on the whole man, and the more effective the leadership is, the higher the price to be paid" (p. 169). Because we understand the urgency of our ministry, we will not mitigate that price. Weariness, loneliness, struggle, rising early, staying up late, and forgoing pleasures all come with excellence.
2. Richard Baxter (1615-1691) wrote that the ministerial work, "must be managed laboriously and diligently, being of such unspeakable consequence to others and ourselves. We are seeking to uphold the world, to save it from the curse of God, to perfect the creation, to attain the ends of Christ's redemption, to save ourselves and others from damnation, to overcome the devil, and demolish his kingdom, and set up the kingdom of Christ, and attain and help others to the kingdom of glory. And are these works to be done with a careless mind or a slack hand? O see then that this work be done with all your might! Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow. (The Reformed Pastor [London: James Nisbet and Co., 1860 reprint], 164-65)
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