John's Wesleys rebuke below of a young minister should be sufficient challenge for each of us to devote ourselves to the discipline of reading.
I was reviewing my library today and began to jot down titles of books that I have enjoyed reading in recent history and can highly recommend to you brothers.
>Humility................................................................................by C.J. Mahaney
>Paul on Trial......................................................................... by John W. Mauck
>When Shall These Things Be.............................................. by Keith Matheison
>The Faith............................................................................... by Chuck Colson
>Galatians............................................................................... by Gorden Fee
>The Shape of Sola Scriptura.................................................by Keith Matheison
>God of Promise................................................................... by Mishael Horton
>Being The Body....................................................................by Chuck Colson
"What has exceedingly hurt you in time past, nay, and I fear, to this day, is want 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 to fix it!.... Whether you like it or no, 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 pretty, superficial preacher."
John Wesley, writing to a young preacher, quoted in D. A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge, Letters Along The Way, page 169.
No comments:
Post a Comment