Dr. Ajith Fernando explains the importance and impact of reading biblical devotional writings more meaningfully.
READING THE WRITINGS OF some outstanding biblical preachers had a marked influence on my life as a young person. I had several favourite authors, some of whom were: F. B. Meyer, G. Campbell Morgan, A. T. Robertson, John Stott, Leon Morris, F. F. Bruce, and H. L. Ellison. I valued their writings because they helped me to get into the Word; to get background information that I did not have access to, which helped illumine the text; and to be nourished by scriptural truth. It was clear that these writers had studied and meditated carefully on biblical passages to see what the biblical author meant. They then attempted to apply what the passage said to present-day hearers. These writings helped me to realise the power of the word of God to speak to us and to transform our lives. As a young person, I determined that I too would study the word with rigour.
Since then, I have added several other authors to my list of favourite biblically-grounded devotional writers. Some of these are: Don Carson, Robert Coleman, David Gooding, E. Stanley Jones, Derek Kidner, Dennis Kinlaw, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, J. A. Motyer, John Piper, Tom Schreiner, Chris Wright, and Philip Yancey. I occasionally read such books as part of my devotions, as a change from or an addition to my normal routine of reading and studying the Bible inductively. I also go to the beach on occasion and spend time with such books while basking in the glory of God’s creation. I read these books on trains and planes and in airports. Sometimes, I read for a few minutes before going to sleep. I have found that I often need to shut off the TV and my internet connection, to be free to do such reading. This kind of exegetical devotional book must be read slowly, a few pages at a time, if we are to reap the maximum benefit. I take this as part of my pursuit of pleasure. There are few pleasures as rich and enjoyable as reflecting on the eternal truths of God!
It must be said that I do not always agree with the applications that these authors make from the passages of scripture discussed. This relates to one of the challenges of application: some people will disagree with our applications. But we should not shy away from making such applications simply because of this. The applications are not divinely inspired and inerrant like the word of God. These expository writers open up the inerrant word to me, so that I could understand it and consider how to apply it to my personal life. They teach me that I must seek to engage scripture in a thoroughgoing way so as to let it speak specifically to the issues we face today.
When I was a student at Asbury Theological Seminary, we had Bishop Stephen Neill – who served with distinction in India, Kenya, and England – visiting us for two days. He had one of the most brilliant minds I have ever encountered. During a question-and-answer time, he recommended something to the students which I have found very helpful: that when we launch into ministry, we regularly read theological books slowly – a little at a time, when we can find the time – even if it takes several months to complete them.
May I recommend that every Christian develops one or more ‘writer-mentors’ – that is, people whose life and ministry are such that these will become a model to you. This recommendation originally came to me from John Piper, who had Jonathan Edwards as his mentor. I chose John Wesley as my writer-mentor for several reasons. He founded the denomination I belong to; he was able to combine a sound mind with a warm heart; and he was very effective in ministry among the poor. He has probably influenced my preaching style more than anyone else, because I read his sermons when I was starting off as a preacher in my late teens and early twenties.
There is another helpful lesson that I learned from John Piper. He said: “Books don’t change people; paragraphs do. Sometimes, even sentences” [John Piper, The Godward Life (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, 1997). From this I learned that sometimes one does not have to read a whole book to be blessed by an author. When you are reading a large book slowly, it may take too long to complete the whole book. Sometimes, we may leave a book after reading a substantial portion of it, as we have imbibed enough of the author’s burden for the present.
As implied, this kind of devotional reading is a major means of personal renewal. We need to be constantly exposed to means that feed our heart and mind. The most important aspect is exposure to the Bible. I would add to that the need to be exposed to the thinking of other thoughtful Christians. There is a great danger that in today’s digitalized world, Christians are exposed to limitless bytes of information that fill the mind but do not feed the soul. A pastor who left the ministry as a result of burnout left behind his library at his office in his last church. When his successor looked at his library, he noticed that many of the books his predecessor had acquired early in his ministry were on Bible and theology – but most of his more recently acquired books were on practical topics relating to techniques of ministry and leadership. (This was related by Bishop Robert Solomon of Singapore, in a seminar he conducted in Sri Lanka many years ago.) This pastor had probably neglected the work of feeding his mind and soul.
Devotional books based on exegesis feed us with security-building realities. These realities give us strength to go through the rigours of an active life of service to others. Without this strength, we can become very insecure people, because we confront many uncertainties and receive many blows in life. This is what gave the psalmists the courage to persevere against all odds. David said: “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction” (Psa. 119:92). Deep down, we are braced by the reality that “the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). With so much uncertainty around, we cling to the belief that truth will finally triumph. As Peter said: “The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever”
(1 Pet. 1:24-25). As we are bombarded daily with messages that seem to deny this, it is easy to imbibe the insecurity of the world. This is why we need to be fed by a regular dose of the truths of God. These abiding truths give us the security to persevere amidst so many seeming setbacks in ministry.
I am convinced that burnout takes place more as a result of insecurity than hard work. Paul uses the verb kopiaō (which carries the idea of toiling or working to the point of exhaustion) thirteen times – in Acts 20:35; Rom. 16:6, 12; 1 Cor. 4:12, 15:10, 16:16; Gal. 4:11; Phil. 2:16; Col. 1:29; 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 4:10, 5:17; and 2 Tim. 2:6 – and the corresponding noun kopos eight times – in 1 Cor. 15:58; 2 Cor. 6:5, 11:23, 27; 1 Thess. 1:3, 2:9, 3:5; and 2 Thess. 3:8 – in connection with Christian ministry. This suggests that hard work and tiredness are inevitable in ministry. But if our hard work and passion for success come from trying to overcome our insecurities, we would never be contented in ministry and could keep pushing ourselves until we get burned out. Therefore feeding our minds with truths which affirm our security should be a priority in ministry. So is time spent alone with God in prayer. But that is beyond the scope of this article.
For now, we conclude with this resolution: let us bring back the practice of slow, thoughtful reading into our lives.
With so much uncertainty around, we cling to the belief that truth will finally triumph. As Peter said:
The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.
Dr. Ajith Fernando is Teaching Director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka, having been National Director for 35 years. He has written 15 books, which have been published in 19 different languages. His The Call to Joy and Pain was awarded the Christianity Today ‘Book of the Year Award’ for church and pastoral leadership; Deuteronomy: Loving Obedience to a Loving God was released last year; and Reclaiming Love: Radical Relationships in a Complex World was published by Zondervan in April 2013. He is on the translation team of a New Sinhala Bible done by Biblica.