“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! Fix some part of every day for private exercises. You may acquire the taste which you have not; what is tedious at first will afterwards be pleasant. 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. 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 young preacher, quoted in D. A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge, Letters Along The Way, page 169.
6 Comments
2009-05-02 19:18:00
I like this! My man John Wesley was an amazing person.
2009-05-02 21:40:00
Okay. I am a reader, so I think it’s an awesome and sort of nerdy hobby. If I had $200 that had to be spent in a store, then it would be a bookstore. I do believe God can use the reader and non-reader alike. One time I was reading a book, and I think it was a Chip Ingram book, he was telling a great story about evangelism. He said a church was doing neighborhood outreach and this illiterate new convert wanted to go. A lot of people were against because the guy couldn’t read and was new to the faith. They let him go with a stack of tracks. The guy knocks on peoples doors and says, “I can’t read. Could you read this to me?” This guy lead more people to Christ that day than anyone else in the church. Hmmmmm……….. Now, do I want an illiterate guy preaching to me on a regular basis? I’ll have to get back to you on that because I love teachers that reference all kinds of books.
2009-05-03 05:55:00
I spend more time listening to books than actually reading them. Is it exposure to the information that makes the difference or is there something significant about reading the words on the page? Does it matter what you read or is it just about developing the habit of reading?
2009-05-04 11:29:00
I once had a professor who said, “If you don’t read, stay out of the ministry.”
2009-05-04 15:14:00
That is a quotable for sure.
I was just reflecting on this last night. Two years ago when God saved me, I was completely wasting my time, striving for complete idleness and never consider myself a reader at all. I have read like 10 books in 14 years since getting out of high school.
I was listening to a sermon podcast where the pastor challenged the listeners with a list of books but began the recommendation with this statement: “If you are not a reader, don’t get these books to let them collect dust on your nightstand.”
My response was, “pish, I am not a reader.” But Holy Spirit kept pressing me and pressing me and kept working on my heart.
Now, in that short time, I have about 100 books in arm’s distance from my bed. At any moment, I can have a thought about a verse and blindly reach over for my Bible. I have read the Bible and made study notes for a third of the bible on books like Romans, 1 Corinthians, Jeremiah and Nehemiah.
Romans 12:2 (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
God was working to transform my mind.
2009-05-08 15:25:00
Denise,
I think listening is good too. My through the Bible in a year plan occurs daily through my ipod and that’s working well for me. When it comes to study, I really need to crack open the books. Part of the reason Pastor Robert is such an effective preacher/teacher is that he reads books. This letter from Wesley is written to another preacher and should be unerstood in that context.
Blessings,
alan
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