Reflection 11

What a privilege for all of us to know this inspiring and admirable person who contributed much in our history. Without this subject, I would not be able to appreciate and love what the people did before and their works. I would like all of us to know that this person had much to do in our history today. Without him, then there would not be mass of people converted to Christianity and he would not be one of the advocate in spreading the “Great Awakening.” Over the last few weeks I’ve been re-reading the life of George Whitefield one the greatest evangelist that brought revival to England and America in the 18^th century. Whitefield was an amazing preacher who preached anything up to 40 hours a week going from town to town, speaking to men and women in the churches and in the fields. And every time he preached, many people will hear his voice and the message he spoke. The people did not only listened to him but they also decided to put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The secret to his ministry lay I believe in his personal devotion and walk with God.

The life of George Whitefield is a very great example in terms of personal devotion and walk with God. It just amazing to know that there are people who are very eager and desiring to have their intimate relationship with God. It is also inspiring because George Whitefield did not keep his faith for himself only but he shared it to others. We can see that he saw the needs of the people, that they were looking and desiring for the truth. So that was the reason that he loved to preach and as what I have learned in the class that he preached more than 18,000 sermons. Isn't it amazing? I am amazed that he was able to preach this number of sermons and what was amazing also was that 78 of them were published. I really salute George Whitefield of what he did and what he contributed before.

Here is the lesson I learn from this. Until we begin to scrutinize our motives, our hearts, our attitudes, our actions, we remain blind to our sinfulness and to the ongoing need to repent and live by God’s sovereign grace in our lives. Though we are free from enslavement to the world, the devil and our sinful nature, the shadow of our old nature still seeks to enslave us. And unless we are diligent and watchful we will easily fall back into our old pattern of life. And so more than anything else the regular spiritual discipline of searching and examining our hearts intentionally and diligently leads us to depend all the more on the cross of Jesus, reminding us of what we should be free from and that we are no longer enslaved. That should then bring us back time and time again to repentance and faith constantly bringing our lives under His Sovereign grace. I believe that’s what it means to walk with Jesus and to grow to be more like Jesus. We want to not just follow Jesus, we also want to grow to be more like him, and to do that we must put off our old life and put on our new life.