I've been enjoying more than my fair share of 50th birthday parties, and a common theme of discussion is the desire to just "slow down a little." It's notable that I need just a bit more sleep, and that I can't pull the long hours that I used to do even in my late 40s. I'm tempted to think that I deserve an easier life now, "because I've earned it."
John Wesley felt the same, but I was shamed to see at what age!
- The great preacher averaged three sermons a day for fifty-four years preaching all-told more than 44,000 times. In doing this he traveled by horseback and carriage more than 200,000 miles, or about 5,000 miles a year.
- His published words include a four-volume commentary on the whole Bible, a dictionary of the English language, a five-volume work on natural philosophy, a four-volume work on church history; histories of England and Rome; grammars on the Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French and English languages; three works on medicine, six volumes of church music; seven volumes of sermons and controversial papers. He also edited a library of fifty volumes known as “The Christian Library.”
- He routinely arose at 4:00 A.M., and worked solidly through to 10:00 P.M., allowing brief periods for meals.
- At age 83, he was piqued to discover that he could not write more than 15 hours a day without hurting his eyes; and at the age of 86 he was ashamed to admit that he could not preach more than twice a day.
- In his 86th year, he preached in almost every shire in England and Wales, and often rode thirty to fifty miles a day.
Just reading the list exhausts me! Of course, such frenetic activity can be motivated by fear, but in this case, Wesley was motivated by God's grace to him, and the understanding that every waking moment must be spent in the saviour's service. Of course we need to be sensible with rest, and make sure we are "working for the Lord" for the right reasons, but this remarkable example encourages me to seek productive activity for the sake of Christ, not self indulgent sloth, because he's earned my rest, not me.
1 Comment
Thomas Seidler
Posted 08/02/2012 11:28The foundation of his marriage was thus:
"Wesley took care that her fortune should be settled on herself and children, and it was agreed that he should not preach one sermon or travel one mile less than before his marriage."
Mark Driscoll would say he made ministry his idol, and I'm inclined to agree. But how mightily God uses fallen men even. Check his sermon on ministry marriages too for more crazy husbands who destroyed their families (but were also greatly used by God).
http://theresurgence.com/2012/01/05/leadership-lessons-from-john-wesleys-miserable-marriage?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheResurgence+%28The+Resurgence%29
Sometimes I think there is a risk in extreme ministry lifestyle of being a Joab, ruthlessly efficient and gifted but missing the heartbeat of God. You know build God's Kingdom, but leaving yourself shut out of it.