Journey with Thomas Watson

In our Journey of Devotion this Advent season, I want to introduce you to some of my favorite Puritan pastors. These are men of rich theology with a warmth of devotion (they called it piety). The Lord has used this generation of men more than any other to awaken my heart with love and passion for Jesus and His finished work. They served their beloved England during the 16th and 17th centuries as the Reformation fires that Martin Luther began reached across the channel to ignite the English Reformation. They contended not only for the content of the “faith once delivered” to the saints, but a “fire of devotion” to keep one’s soul passionate for Christ.

Four of my favorite books come from the pen of Thomas Watson (Doctrine of Repentance, A Godly Man’s Picture, The Art of Divine Contentment, and All Things for Good). With pastoral simplicity, he constantly points the reader not merely to the gifts of God, but to God Himself. Consider this word from Watson, “We must love God more for what He is, than for what He bestows.” Do you seek Christ for that which makes life better or simply out of love for Him? Do you find your prayers more occupied with gratitude or with “asks”? He loves us to bring our requests to Him in our prayers, but may our spirit be one of loving relationship over making demands of a cosmic genie. Perhaps you struggle to find that spirit of love for Jesus, unable to muster a passion for Him. In this case, Watson exhorts us that, “Until sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.” With one hand, we must let go of the sin that sticks so closely to us, as we grab the gentle and firm hand of the Savior with the other. Devotion to Christ becomes sweeter and deeper as sin becomes duller to our heart. What is your hand holding on to? It just may be that whatever your hand is holding is that which is gripping your heart. May the beauty of the God who became man and dwelt with us capture our deepest devotion this Advent season!