primary business

I got back yesterday from a hugely encouraging and challenging 'Formation' conference. In one of the sessions Steve Casey was speaking from Jonah 4. The title of his talk was 'Keeping hearts on fire'. In it, he quoted a couple of things - a quote from George Muller which I've heard before, and a poem by John Newton which I haven't. I loved them both so thought them both worth sharing again.

One thing that I realised (yet again!) was just how prone my heart is to seek it's own glory, and how (in the end) profoundly dissatisfying and joy sapping that is. I'm excited to try to refocus my heart, and to find my soul happy in the Lord as the foundation of life and ministry.

I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished...
I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it.

Great quote isn't it! Tomorrow I'll post the John Newton song.