Does your reading diet only consist of modern authors, bloggers, ebooks and the like? Or do you take some time to read, soak in, and study great older works that can teach us so much?
Lately, in effort to more deeply appreciate the roots of my denominational heritage, I’ve dug out my 3-volume set of “What Luther Says.” I am finding some deep treasures within these writings and receiving renewed faith, challenged thinking, and, as was the goal, a deep appreciation of the roots of Reformation Lutheranism. Take some time to dwell on these wonderful words that Martin Luther shared regarding Jesus’ call to “Come, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
He does say not only “Come” but also “all,” no one excluded, no matter who he may be and though he were the very worst of men…Very well, then, since all are to come…come along and turn to Him, nor willfully remain behind with the mass that is lost and in this way carelessly and wantonly neglect your salvation. Furthermore He says, “to Me.” He does not direct you to another, who does not know the way, who himself has lost the thread in the labyrinth and goes wrong in this and that direction, but He says, “to Me,” who knows the way without fail and is able to find the path by day and in the dark of night, without any injury to your feet.
For Christ, and He alone, is the way and the road, He the center of the circle that embraces all, yea, the center of the target – the bull’s-eye, at which all archers must aim and shoot, and the only One the beginning of all numbers.
He “knows the way without fail and is able to find the path by day and in the dark of night, without any injury to your feet.” What a beautiful picture. Rest in that today!
What classic author and/or teacher has deepened your faith lately? Leave a quote in the comments!
(photo by Thgoiter, taken from the Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Share-Alike 3.0 Unported License)
