Your word isa lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. Psalm 119.105

The Christian Ministry: Part I, chapter VII
Charles Bridges (1794-1869)
“The attentive study of the Scriptures has a sort of constraining power. It fills the mind with the most splendid form of heavenly truth, which it teaches with purity, solidity, certainty, and without the least mixture of error. It soothes the mind with an inexpressible sweetness; it satisfies the sacred hunger and thirst for knowledge with flowing rivers of honey and butter; it penetrates into the innermost heart with irresistible influence; it imprints its own testimony so firmly upon the mind, that the believing soul rests upon it with the same security, as if it had been carried up into the third heaven, and heard it from God’s own mouth; it touches all the affections, and breathes the sweetest fragrance of holiness upon the pious reader, even though he may not perhaps comprehend the full extent of his reading.”

One of the most common problems that afflict many pastors is allowing their time in the Word to be determined mainly, if not exclusively, by the needs of their ministry. Many pastors with whom I’ve talked do not maintain a consistent program of reading, meditating in, and studying the Scriptures with a view to their own personal feeding and enrichment. The time they spend in God’s Word is almost entirely determined by the demands of preaching and teaching. But we will not know the transforming and “constraining” power of Scripture until we immerse ourselves in it daily, waiting on the Lord to fill and soothe our minds, penetrate our hearts, and “breathe the sweetest fragrance of holiness” upon our souls.

How do you respond to your time in God’s Word in your mind? Your heart? Your conscience? Your everyday life?

T. M. Moore

Fan into Flame
As shepherds of the Lord’s flocks, we need to make sure we’re actually doing the work God has appointed to us, especially where the Word of God is concerned. Our handbook Fan into Flame provides a concise overview of the shepherd’s ministry of the Word, and includes helpful self-evaluation tools, so you can discover areas of needed improvement. Order your copy by clicking here.

A Hermeneutic of Convenience
C. S. Lewis wrote, “The right defence against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments.” And the right defense against a false hermeneutic of convenience is, first, to recognize how it operates and, second, to follow sound hermeneutical practices. Our brief study Scripture Twisting exposes the temptation to yield to a hermeneutic of convenience. Write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I’ll send you a free PDF copy. And our workbook Text to Transformation provides a refresher on the work of Biblical interpretation. Our course Introduction to Biblical Theology will help you to see the overall covenantal framework for a right understanding of Scripture. It’s available free online, to study on your own schedule and at your own pace, by clicking here.

Help us build up the community of readers who are learning from great pastors of the past. Pass along this copy of Pastor to Pastor to a friend in ministry, and encourage him to sign-up at our website, www.ailbe.org, to receive it every day.

Your prayers and gifts make this ministry possible. Please seek the Lord in prayer about sharing with us at The Fellowship of Ailbe. You can use the Contribute button at the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.