Monday, July 12, 2010
As It Should Be
John Piper quoted John Newton back in March:
I remain convinced the humility is the key to deep Christianity. The simple understanding that we are nothing and He is everything.
There is an exercise that I under take from time to to I call "What's my agenda?" Why do I desire something? Whatever it is, a project a church, blogging, maybe just some object for the home. I work very hard to strip the typical self-serving rationale and be nakedly honest with myself. And then I try to remove myself from the equation.
Many think that will "take all the fun out of life." I believe God wants pleasure for us, but not self-glorification. If I can find pure pleasure I might just proceed, but if it is to "get over" somehow, I try to let go of the desire. Many times I find the pure pleasure.
Which leads me to a question about all those ministers that feel "burn-out." I wonder what would happen if they sought the pure pleasure on ministry?
I hope that he and you and I shall all so live, as to be missed a little when we are gone. But the Lord standeth not in need of sinful man. And he sometimes takes away his most faithful and honoured ministers in the midst of their usefulness, perhaps [for this reason] among others, that he may show us he can do without them. . . . Blessed is the servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing, with his loins girded up, and his lamp burning.The big question is - "Who is God 'showing'?" Well, in my experience, usually the very useful minister that he is removing.
I remain convinced the humility is the key to deep Christianity. The simple understanding that we are nothing and He is everything.
There is an exercise that I under take from time to to I call "What's my agenda?" Why do I desire something? Whatever it is, a project a church, blogging, maybe just some object for the home. I work very hard to strip the typical self-serving rationale and be nakedly honest with myself. And then I try to remove myself from the equation.
Many think that will "take all the fun out of life." I believe God wants pleasure for us, but not self-glorification. If I can find pure pleasure I might just proceed, but if it is to "get over" somehow, I try to let go of the desire. Many times I find the pure pleasure.
Which leads me to a question about all those ministers that feel "burn-out." I wonder what would happen if they sought the pure pleasure on ministry?
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