Christian Biographies

I love reading missionary biographies, or any Christian biography. I also love to listen to Piper’s biographical messages delivered each year at his pastor’s conference. Of the ones I’ve listened to thus far, Adoniram Judson’s and Charles Simeon’s are two of my favorites.

Certain parts of these messages I simply haven’t been able to get out of my mind. Even reading some of the statements these men (and also Judson’s wife, Ann) have written themselves- my jaw drops. Here’s one by Simeon-

Repentance is in every view so desirable, so necessary, so suited to honor God, that I seek that above all. The tender heart, the broken and contrite spirit, are to me far above all the joys that I could ever hope for in this vale of tears. I long to be in my proper place, my hand on my mouth, and my mouth in the dust. . . . I feel this to be safe ground. Here I cannot err. . . . I am sure that whatever God may despise . . . He will not despise the broken and contrite heart.

Wow. That last part especially struck me- I am sure whatever God may despise, He will not despise the broken and contrite heart.

And Judson wrote the following sentence-

“If I had not felt certain that every additional trial was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated sufferings.”

Piper says of this-

“this deep confidence in God’s overarching providence through all calamity and misery sustained him to the end.”

And just for a glimpse into the kind of woman Ann was… This is what she wrote after their second child died (all three of their children died)-

“Our hearts were bound up with this child; we felt he was our earthly all, our only source of innocent recreation in this heathen land. But God saw it was necessary to remind us of our error, and to strip us of our only little all. O, may it not be vain that he has done it. May we so improve it that he will stay his hand and say ‘It is enough.’”

Piper says of this-

“I preach to produce mothers like that”

If you desire to do so, listening to these messages will give a more balanced look at these men’s lives, and perhaps give you a different look at suffering, but more importantly, may they spur you on in the cause of Christ.

~ by nve on June 14, 2008.