I am currently reading a book by D.A. Carson, title is on the subject heading. Usually his books are quite technical but not so for this particular title. It's a book on prayer and it studies into all the prayers of Paul and how he prayed for the churches he planted, pastored and how he long to meet up with them, to encourage them, to spur them in faith and all that.
So often I am intrigued by Paul's writings and I believed God has used him to pen most of the NT books. I believe, right practise stems from sound and biblical teaching. This book has evaluted my prayer practices and spur me to pray even more faithfully.
Let me quote D.A Carson of which I am very convicted of:
"2. Paul's prayer arises out of passionate affection that seeks that good of others- not their priase, gratitude, acceptance, and still less some sense of professional self-fulfillment.
.... As someone who has taught seminary students for more than fifteen years, I worry about the rising number of seminarians who, when asked where and how they think they might best serve, respond with something like this, "Well, I think I would like to teach somewhere. Every time I have taught, people have told me I have done a pretty good job. I get a tremondous sense of fulfillment out of teaching the Bible. I think I could be satisfied teaching Scripture." How pathetic. I know pagans who find satisfaction and fulfillment by teaching nuclear physics (ruth lol). In any Christian view of life, self-fulfillment must never be permitted to become the controlling issue. The issue is service (ruth nods profusely in agreement), the service of real people. The question is, How Can I be most useful?, not, How can I feel most useful? The goal is, How can I best glorify God by serving his people?, not How can I feel most comfortable and appreciated while engaging in some acceptable form of Christian ministry? The assumption is, How shall the Christian service to which God calls me be enhanced by my daily death, by my principled commitment to take up my cross daily and die?, not How shall the form of service I am considering enhance my career? This is not to deny that Christians may derive joy from work honestly offered to God,, whether that work is vocational ministry or research into the properties of quarks. But it is one thing to find joy in the work to which we have been called, and another to make joy the goal of life, the fundamental criterion that controls our choices. It is one thing to weigh a Christian leader's evaluation of our gifts, and another so to focus on our perception of our gifts that self-worship has crept in through the back door. It is one thing to think of people as a live audience that will appreciate our displays of homiletical prowess, and another that passionately shapes each sermon to convey the truth to God's people for their good."
This short excerpt really got me reflecting. Sometimes, I think to myself, if there's one area of service I could 'live' without, what would it be? The answer will always be to lead worship. Upon reading what Carson had written about service, I was humbled. Service is not about me, whether I can live without it or not. It is whether the people of God is served and whether I am called to serve in that area of ministry or not.
So often I am intrigued by Paul's writings and I believed God has used him to pen most of the NT books. I believe, right practise stems from sound and biblical teaching. This book has evaluted my prayer practices and spur me to pray even more faithfully.
Let me quote D.A Carson of which I am very convicted of:
"2. Paul's prayer arises out of passionate affection that seeks that good of others- not their priase, gratitude, acceptance, and still less some sense of professional self-fulfillment.
.... As someone who has taught seminary students for more than fifteen years, I worry about the rising number of seminarians who, when asked where and how they think they might best serve, respond with something like this, "Well, I think I would like to teach somewhere. Every time I have taught, people have told me I have done a pretty good job. I get a tremondous sense of fulfillment out of teaching the Bible. I think I could be satisfied teaching Scripture." How pathetic. I know pagans who find satisfaction and fulfillment by teaching nuclear physics (ruth lol). In any Christian view of life, self-fulfillment must never be permitted to become the controlling issue. The issue is service (ruth nods profusely in agreement), the service of real people. The question is, How Can I be most useful?, not, How can I feel most useful? The goal is, How can I best glorify God by serving his people?, not How can I feel most comfortable and appreciated while engaging in some acceptable form of Christian ministry? The assumption is, How shall the Christian service to which God calls me be enhanced by my daily death, by my principled commitment to take up my cross daily and die?, not How shall the form of service I am considering enhance my career? This is not to deny that Christians may derive joy from work honestly offered to God,, whether that work is vocational ministry or research into the properties of quarks. But it is one thing to find joy in the work to which we have been called, and another to make joy the goal of life, the fundamental criterion that controls our choices. It is one thing to weigh a Christian leader's evaluation of our gifts, and another so to focus on our perception of our gifts that self-worship has crept in through the back door. It is one thing to think of people as a live audience that will appreciate our displays of homiletical prowess, and another that passionately shapes each sermon to convey the truth to God's people for their good."
This short excerpt really got me reflecting. Sometimes, I think to myself, if there's one area of service I could 'live' without, what would it be? The answer will always be to lead worship. Upon reading what Carson had written about service, I was humbled. Service is not about me, whether I can live without it or not. It is whether the people of God is served and whether I am called to serve in that area of ministry or not.
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