As may be the case with this blog for the immediate future, most of my ruminations come from what I am studying that day. Today, therefore, is no different. My John Milton class meets tonight, and this week we have been reading through a sampling of his Sonnets. I must admit, as I have heard others say this week, I am not the biggest Milton's-Sonnets-fan, but I have been searching for something redeeming in them to latch onto and give myself motivation and justification for paying a thousand dollars to take this course......and I think I finally have.
The last selection for this week's reading was Sonnet XIX, "When I Consider..." Redemption has come through Milton's apparent introspection and wrestling with his unique calling as a follower of Christ.
The part that grabbed my attention reads:
Need we always exhaust ourselves in our service to the Lord? Can he not call us to wait? This is the tricky part, though. How does one, in trying to wait faithfully, keep from slothfulness and disobedience? I can easily see myself sliding down the slippery slope of laziness, where I discard church attendance, offerings, and service of any type, all under the guise of waiting. I know my tendencies, but this seems an inner-battle worth raging. The alternative is to live under the tyranny of legalism and slave-labor to the church.
As always, I invite your comments or different intpretations of the text.
The last selection for this week's reading was Sonnet XIX, "When I Consider..." Redemption has come through Milton's apparent introspection and wrestling with his unique calling as a follower of Christ.
The part that grabbed my attention reads:
"God doth not needThese last months have been a gentle reminder of this principle in many ways. I have been involved in a job and a church that, by their actions, value "posting o'er Land and Ocean without rest", but I have been confronted with the reality that work does not always equal serving. Perhaps that is poor wording, but the point is plainly seen.
either man's work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best; his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait."
Need we always exhaust ourselves in our service to the Lord? Can he not call us to wait? This is the tricky part, though. How does one, in trying to wait faithfully, keep from slothfulness and disobedience? I can easily see myself sliding down the slippery slope of laziness, where I discard church attendance, offerings, and service of any type, all under the guise of waiting. I know my tendencies, but this seems an inner-battle worth raging. The alternative is to live under the tyranny of legalism and slave-labor to the church.
As always, I invite your comments or different intpretations of the text.
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