[W]e should pray and work (ora et labora). Prayer and work belong together. They are like two oars that, when used together, keep the rowboat moving forward. If you use only one oar - praying without working or working without praying - you will row in circles.
Holiness takes well-planned, hard, and sweating prayer and work, the Puritans said. Careful planning as to how you are going to live for the Lord is necessary if you want to achieve much of abiding value for Him. Yet the Puritans were not self-reliant. They understood that daily living for a Christian must go something like this:
1. Look ahead and see what you have to do.
2. Go to the Lord in prayer and say, "Lord, I do not have what it takes to do this; I need divine help."
3. Rely on the Lord to answer the prayer you have offered, then proceed expectantly to the task that lies before you.
4. After completing the task, return to the Lord to thank Him for the help He gave.
5. Ask His forgiveness for all your failures and sins in the process, and ask for grace to fulfill your task more faithfully the next time.
The Puritan method of daily sanctification includes earnest prayer and hard work without self reliance; all the exertion of energy is done in faith. By grace, sanctification is both faithful effort and fruitful effort.From Living for God's Glory by Joel R. Beeke, Reformation Trust, page 207.
A providential winner of this book will be picked tomorrow morning, so there's still time to enter the giveaway.
I wasn't going to enter because I have the book, but I am discipling two guys, one on Wed and one Saturday at 6:00 AM. Both of these guys would benefit greatly from this book, so count me in and if I am sovereignly selected I will give it to one of these guys. Thanks for the opportunity and the reminder.
ReplyDeleteLoving this quote. I'm eager to read the book. Thanks for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeletePersis,
ReplyDeleteI like how Beeke lists steps here. My children and I were just reading about this very thing regarding prayer. J.R. Miller was speaking of "living up to our prayers." "We must rise from our knees and go out in paths of love and service."
Did you go through this book with your daughter, or will you be having her read it?
This sounds like such a good book!
ReplyDeleteTrisha:
ReplyDeleteI'd like to read this with my daughter. She's certainly heard me say multiple times, "You need to listen to this...." as I'm reading the book. Perhaps one day.
We are reading Don't Call It a Comeback which is a little easier reading than Dr. Beeke. However, the material is just as meaty.
Wonderful! Thanks for the recommendation. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this Peris. This is such practical advice. Exhanged Life theology would oppose such a formula, but it leaves the believer confused and without the kind of everyday direction that we can grab on to.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you!