MEET A MAN WHO RICH BLESSES MY LIFE:
SELWYN HUGHES
Selwyn Hughes is a man whose ministry I missed in the early years of my Christian life. I really don’t know how I did not connect with his writings many years ago. Sadly, I did not. A few years ago I served for a time on the LifeWay Christian Resources Board of Trustees. During my tenure of service LifeWay, B&H publishers, was publishing the writings of Selwyn Hughes. His devotional books were beautifully bound and contain comments and art by Thomas Kinkade. I availed myself to the books at that time, but it was not until I put them into my wife’s hands and she began to read them that I was really introduced to Hughes. My wife began to read the daily devotions and “every day”(a Hughes title) she shared with me nuggets of truth and insights she had gained in her quiet time. I was so taken by what Selwyn Hughes writings were in her life I began to read for myself and what I found was pure gold. My only regret in writing this testimonial is that B&H no longer publishes Selwyn Hughes writings. I think they are missing out on providing a great resource to hungry Christians.
Selwyn Hughes, a Welshman, was born on April 27, 1928. He became known for his devotional writings under the title “Every Day With Jesus.” How this all came about in his life is a fascinating story in and of itself. He founded Christian ministry Crusade for World Revival. George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, described Hughes as a “giant in the faith.”
Selwyn Hughes died on January 9, 2006. However, He being dead…still speaks.
At the moment I am reading Everyday Light, Water for the Soul. I am in the section on the Fruit of the Spirit. I am reading this section because daily my wife is reminding me of truths she is gleaning. Again, I discovered a gold mine. No fluff…no cotton candy…nothing of the kind. Every word is “meat.” Every word is relevant and personal and biblical and TRUE.
Here are a few excerpts:
Day 244: The fruit of the Spirit is just one aspect of the Spirit-filled life. It is an over-simplification, but the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian moves in tow important directions- to produce purity and to produce power. The power aspect can be in seen in the study of the gifts of the Spirit and the purity aspect can be seen in a study of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Both are of equal importance.
Day 247: Here Hughes describes some of the first characteristic of the Fruit of the Spirit: LOVE. He says, The love which flows in our hearts when we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit is not a general love but a specific one-the love of Christ. This love dulls the edge of disappointment and enables us to be invulnerable to many things, not least a lack of appreciation.
Day 248: How can we ensure that the love which surges in the Heart of God surges also in us? We must not strain to love, but allow the love of God to flow within us. Dr. W.E. Sangster, the famous Methodist preacher, said that those who best manifest God’s love are those who have had a blinding realization of the love of God and whose own love flames in response. (wow! what an insight…so simple, yet so profound! RDW)
Day 249:; When we perceive how much God loves us, an amazing affect is produced in our personalities- we begin to love like Him. We cannot help it. Love- agape love- is not the fruit of labor; it is a response. When we stand at the foot of Calvary, the place where the love of God is fully focused and caught up, the scales drop from our eyes and our own love flames in response. We love Him because He first loved us. ….Don’t try to manufacture love. Linger in the shadow of the cross. The love of God finds its most burning expression there. Meditate on it. Contemplate it.
Have you read to this point? I gave only a few nuggets…but oh how rich!!!
Roger Willmore 