Daily EncouragementSample

Diligence and devotion are to be the marks of the Christian minister. He cannot be anything else as well. And there are certain matters that are fundamental to his ministry. His real progress is to be evaluated in relation to them. Supreme among these are “the public reading of Scripture . . . preaching and . . . teaching” (verse 13). “The public reading of Scripture” - if it was important then, when few had their own copy of the Scriptures, it is important now, when many neglect to bring to church the Bibles they have. It is also important now because on the whole people read their Bibles either inadequately or not at all. A man who views his Bible as “the oracles of God” (Rom. 3:2, AV) should surely take pains to read it well. “Good reading,” it has been said, “is equal to a running commentary and better than most.” “Preaching and teaching.” “Not by accident,” writes Dr. Sangster, “nor yet by the thrustful egotism of men, was the pulpit given the central place in the Reformed Churches. It is there of design and devotion. It is there by the logic of things. It is there as the throne of the Word of God.” “Preaching and teaching” are twin brothers. They are both at their best when they appear together, when the teaching flows out of the exposition of the word.