All of that was just background to the point I'm getting on to, as over the weekend I picked up a copy of "A Sure Guide to Heaven" by Joseph Alleine. In the Puritan Paperback reprint, there is a biographical introduction to Joseph, which includes an interesting insight into his committment to spending time with God. He was regularly awake at 4am to pray, read scripture and sing psalms. If he heard that a local smith or other worker was already working by then, the sound of their work drove him to shame, and he confided to a friend "O how their noise shames me! Doth not my master deserve more than theirs?". It's an amazing picture of a man wishing to give as much as he can to God.
The natural reaction to hearing about these Godly people is to compare their devotion to your own life, and the obvious thing to first focus on is the committment to wake early. I struggle to wake for 7.30 in the morning, and hearing the sound of binmen already working is more likely to invoke a wish for them to keep quiet and let me sleep rather than a shame in my devotion to God. The other issue was noticing that Mr. Alleine continued his devotion until 8am, which leads me to face whether I would be able to focus for that length of time. I don't have the greatest powers of concentration, and I tend to hide behind that as an excuse for my lack of self discipline when it comes to personnal study.
We claim to live such busy lives today, the truth is I know I could make time in those sort of proportions. My failure to do so simply reflects how hideously jumbled up my priorities are. It's a good thing, therefore, to be faced up with these past models to allow me to be faced up with how far short my life draws up.
1 comment:
It's good to see you writing a blog, Mark. I look forward to reading more of what you have to say.
Joseph Alleine's story is one that challenges the depth of our commitment to Christ. But it also challenges our motives for devoting our lives to Jesus. I think the joy we take in the Bible and in our communion with Jesus is in the long run a healthier motive than guilt.
Of course, sometimes being shamed to rethink my morning routine is exactly what I need! Thank you, Mark.
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