Monday, May 21, 2007

The Pastor in Prayer

“If you are a genuine minister of God you will stand as a priest before the Lord, spiritually wearing the ephod and the breast­plate whereon you bear the names of the children of Israel, pleading for them within the veil…. The preacher who neglects to pray much must be very careless about his ministry. He can­not have comprehended his calling. He cannot have computed the value of a soul, or estimated the meaning of eternity. He must be a mere official, tempted into a pulpit because the piece of bread which belongs to the priest’s office is very necessary to him, or a detestable hypocrite who loves the praise of men, and cares not for the praise of God.... He cannot be one of those who plough deep and reap abundant harvests. He is a mere loiterer, not a labourer. As a preacher he has a name to live and is dead. He limps in his life like the lame man in the Proverbs, whose legs were not equal, for his praying is shorter than his preaching.”

- C. H. Spurgeon

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