I Bequeath My Pastor's Soul to the devil

I Bequeath My Pastor's Soul to the devil!

"Covetousness, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5).

Covetousness is explicit idolatry. Covetousness is the darling sin of our nation. Covetousness being idolatry - is highly provoking to God.  This leprosy has infected all sorts and ranks of men.

Whatever a man loves most and best - that is his god! The covetous man looks upon the riches of the world as his heaven - his happiness - his great ALL. His heart is most upon the world, his thoughts are most upon the world, his affections are most upon the world, his discourse is most about the world.

He who has his mind taken up with the world, and chiefly delighted with the world's music - he has also his tongue tuned to the same key, and takes his joy and comfort in speaking of the world and worldly things. If the world is in his heart - it will break out at the lips. A worldly-minded man speaks mostly of worldly things. "They are of the world, therefore they speak of the world," (John 4:5). The love of this world oils the tongue for worldly discourses, and makes men...

forget God,
neglect Christ,
despise holiness,
forfeit heaven.

Ah! the time, the thoughts, the strength, the efforts - which are spent upon the world, and the things of the world - while sinners' souls lie bleeding, and eternity is hastening upon them!

I have read of a greedy banker, who was always best when he was most in talking of money and the world. Being near his death, he was much pressed to make his WILL. Finally he dictates:

First, I bequeath my own soul to the devil - for being go greedy for the muck of this world!

Second, I bequeath my wife's soul to the devil - for persuading me to this worldly course of life.

Thirdly, I bequeath my pastor's soul to the devil - because he did not show me the danger I lived in, nor reprove me for it!

"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction!" (1 Timothy 6:9).

~Thomas Brooks~
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The One Who Profits Me the Most!

"Be an example to all believers... in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity" (1 Timothy 4:12).

I will name some of the criteria by which I measure the helpfulness of a preacher or writer to my own soul.

The one who profits me the most, is the man whose ministry brings the most awe of a holy and sovereign God into my heart, who reveals my sinfulness and failures to me, who conveys the most light on my path of duty, who makes Christ most precious to me, who encourages me to press forward along the narrow way.

"Watch your life and doctrine closely" (1 Timothy 4:16).

~A. W. Pink~
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That Irresponsible, Amusement-mad Paganized Pseudo-religion!!

In many churches, the Gospel has been watered down until the solution is so weak, that if it were poison - it would not hurt anyone; and if it were medicine - it would not cure anyone!

We must have a new reformation! There must come a violent break with that irresponsible, amusement-mad, paganized pseudo-religion which passes today for the faith of Christ and which is being spread all over the world by unspiritual men employing unscriptural methods to achieve their unspiritual ends!

~A. W. Tozer~
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Your Life Preaches All the Week

Study universal holiness of life. Your whole usefulness depends on this, for your sermons last but an hour or two - your life all the week. If satan can only make a covetous minister a lover of praise, of pleasure, of good eating - he has ruined his ministry.

Give your self to prayer, and get your texts, your thoughts, your words from God. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be success.

It is not great talents God blesses, so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awesome weapon in the hand of God!

~Robert Murray M'Cheyne~
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Souls Are Perishing - And Ministers are Amusing Them!

"But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them - that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die!' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways - that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood!" (Ezekiel 33:6-8).

We behold this same evil affecting many of the pulpits to today's churches. Mere morality is taking the place of regeneration, and the atonement by blood is a slighted subject. Instead of beseeching men to be reconciled to God - we find ministers wasting their time in giving Sunday lectures about all kinds of subjects. Rome is burning - and Nero is playing his fiddle! Souls are perishing - and ministers are amusing them!

~Archibald Brown~