Recently I have been doing a lot of reading. I have read about some great leaders of the past such as Robert Murray McCheyne and C.H.Spurgeon. One of the things I have noticed is the level of commitment and the purpose with which they served their faith and their church. For them their faith was the center of their life and it was the main focus of everything they did. They gave of themselves sacrificially and generously. Their abundance of caring and fervor for the Lord is unparallelled today. Why is it that today we have relegated God to at best a couple of hours on Sunday and maybe, just maybe if we aren't too busy we might give him an hour on Wednesday night? These men would be appalled to see our lack of zeal and attendance. Our fellowship is weak and often almost non-existent today. We claim that the world operates faster and that we just don't have time like people did in the old days. That's just an excuse and as my wife always says the excuse only has to satisfy the person giving it.
Men like McCheyne and Spurgeon believed that God should be first and foremost in our lives. You got up early and spent time with God before you started into your day. They would preach for days. In my recent book about McCheyne it told of a time when there was revival in his hometown of Dundee, Scotland and he preached for like 14 days in a row, until relief preachers finally arrived to assist him. That my friend is dedication. Today we are lucky to have revival service for more than 3 or 4 nights without people being upset about the time it is taking from their lives. When was the last time you were willing to pray without ceasing maybe for a half an hour? or an hour? We feel it is a blessing if we pray a quick prayer over the meal and maybe before we fall asleep. These were men who would pray for hours and with purpose and intent. They prayed with power, purpose, patience, and persistence. We feel that if we close our eyes for more than 30 seconds we should be taking a nap.
These were men who served their congregations and visited. They cared about the people. Spurgeon started orphanages for boys and McCheyne was known for working with youth. They spent time concerning missions. They felt the gospel was for all people. This dedication led them to be great leaders and great men of God. They read the word of God everyday, they prayed constantly, they served others, and they shared the truth un-apologetically and without hesitation. Dedication was a hallmark of their lives and their ministries.
This leads us to their devotion. Many would say that dedication and devotion are the same thing, but if you truly study you will find that they are different. Dedication is their willingness to stick to their beliefs and be persistent in their faith and lives. Devotion on the other hand speaks more to their perseverance and steadfastness. I can be dedicated to my belief, but if I am not devoted to the work then my witness will reveal an empty faith that others will not trust.
McCheyne remained faithful and steadfast despite his frailty and illness in life. He struggled many times with different illnesses yet he continued in his work. He had to overcome a congregation that had dissention over his dedication to missions and his travel to affirm the mission work he so believed in. McCheyne also served in a day when the "state church" was breaking apart and he faced social upheaval. Spurgeon came into a church in a bad part of town, he overcame personal tragedy when people were killed when they came to hear him preach, and his wife and himself both had health issues. Through all of this they remained devout in their studies and their service. They persevered through the fiery trials to rise up and leave a legacy that we can draw on today.
This is so not like today. Men today rarely read at all. Women are having to carry the burdens of running the church, because men are too lazy and incompetent to step up and fulfill the roles that God has ordained for them. Prayer is becoming a lost art that people talk about or say they will do whimsically but they never follow through. Who has time for visitation? There just isn't enough time for all of the God things. We have developed a mentality that if we come on Sunday morning and attended both Sunday School and Worship Service then we have done God a favor. Most come to church as a ritual and they come expecting nothing and expecting to do nothing. That is completely and totally non-biblical. We are called to stand up and testify. Each of us will give an account for our actions to God.
As my pastor and I studied today we discussed this very topic. We should stand in awe and fear that one day we will stand in judgement before Christ and have to give an account for our use of our time and our lives on Earth. The question you have to ask yourself is have you been dedicated to God? Have you been devoted to your calling? Did you honor God with your stewardship of time, talent, and possessions? OH how I wish that we might see men with the character and honor of men like Spurgeon and McCheyne. I pray that God will give me the strength to be half the men that they were. The aspired to be like Jesus and that should be the goal of every Christian, but for some reason we have grown content with half-hearted worship and half-hearted service.
