2003-11-18 - Short Takes

2 Timothy 2:3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

I have been reading an old journal and would like to summarize some of the things I have found in it. I have never tried this before. There is no

particular order to this, but rather, these are just tid-bits I found interesting. I  hope you do also.

MR. HERVEY: He was a wealthy man but towards the end of his life pulled out  from high society circles. Here is the reason he said he did this, "I can  hardly name a polite family where the conversation turns upon the things of God.  I hear much frothy and worldly chit-chat, but not a word of Christ, and I am determined not to visit those companies where there is not room for my Master, as well as for myself." (A thought for the upcoming holiday season?)

JOHN ELLIOT (1604-1690): When he was almost fifty years of age, he learned the language of the American Indians in various dialects. He learned their language well enough to preach to them. He translated the Bible into their language. When he finished the translation he said the following, "Prayer and pains, through faith in Christ, will do any thing!" He went from tribe to tribe visiting and preaching. "I have not been dry night nor day from the third day of the week until the sixth, but so travelled, and at night pulled off my boots, wrung my stockings, and on with them again, and so continue. But God steps in and helps. I have considered the word of God in 2 Tim. 2:3. 'Endure hardness'"

JOHN BUNYAN: We all know him as the author of Pilgrims Progress, the most printed book, in history, behind the Bible. However, he was a preacher. When Charles II was restored to the thrown, Bunyan was cast into prison. He was in prison for 12 years. While in prison he would preach to anyone who would listen. Many times he was offered his freedom if he would agree to stop preaching. His constant reply to this opportunity was, "If you let me out today, I shall preach again tomorrow."

JOHN BROWN (OF HADDINGTON): If you have read these devotionals for any time you know he is one of my hero's. I was delighted to stumble upon this quote. He gave it on his death bed to his sons. One of his sons, John Brown of Edinburgh became very famous and, like his dads books, his also are in print today. However, the son was not consistent in his theology as his father was. The relationship is much like that between Turtulian and his son whose pictures I have on my wall as a simple reminder, to me, that good training does not mean that consistent theology is a given.

Here is what John Brown told his sons, "O, labour -- labour to win souls to Christ! I will say this for your encouragement, that whenever the Lord has led me out to be most diligent this way, he has poured most comfort into my heart, and given me my reward in my bosom. But He is our great example, whose life, as well as lips, said to all his disciples, 'Work while it is day; for the night cometh when no man can work.'"

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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