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God is Not in A Rush

It is a noble aim to serve the Lord but we are sometimes too hasty, like children who love fruit but have not patience to stay till it is ripe. But the Lord is seldom hasty in his operations, and when our zeal comes to be sifted, by experience and after reflection, we shall perhaps find some of the bran of our own spirit mixed with it. Nay, possibly that Satan transformed into an angel of light, has put us upon things beyond the present call of duty and beyond our strength, that we may give him the less disturbance in future. In a word as I approve of your zeal, I shall be glad for your own sake if you will approve and adopt a little of my prudence. I wish my | letters may be a bridle to you and yours a spur to me. 

JOHN NEWTON 
(Source: Wise Counsel, p30) 

Newton is giving this caution to Ryland because he feels he is getting overstretched. Ryland is taking on too much. He is serving as a man in hurry because he probably feels the urgency of the Gospel. Newton’s point is that even when the motives are right, it may be that our flesh is mixed in with it. We may be hurrying for the right thing but doing in a self-driven way rather than resting on the wise judgment of God. His general point that the Lord is not in a rush has wide application. For example, too often in our labour for the Lord we can become discouraged that the Lord is moving too slow. If we are discouraged when we are serving the Lord faithfully, it could be that we are discouraged for ourselves rather than for the Lord. 
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