FOR THE LOVE OF GOD
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“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” -- Matthew 21:28
Starting from the “top down” – from the Lord on, one of the hallmarks of the great saints over the years has been service. On the floor of McCosh Hall at
The significance of service fills several roles. First, it shows that the server is willing to humble himself/herself to do a task that may be “beneath” their station in life.
Kingdom work is composed of lots of tasks – both great and small, and the small tasks being completed are oftentimes every bit as important as the completion of the large tasks!
Consider Mother Teresa. This diminutive nun from a wealthy Albanese family devoted virtually her entire life to the conduct of what many from the world would consider to be “menial” tasks. Those tasks, however, were often of huge importance to the people to whom Mother Teresa was ministering. The cleansing of a filthy body. The pouring of cool water over parched lips. The application of dressing to a wound. The changing of bandages on that same wound. The laying of a cool hand on a fevered brow. The changing of bloody sheets on a cot. All of those things and more were done by Mother Teresa.
You may have heard the story of the American tourist who watched Mother Teresa working with a dying man in the gutters of
The greatest among us do the most humble things. I confess that it’s sometimes a struggle for me to get “down and dirty” even when I know I need to do that.
But the great saints know what needs to be done, and menial or otherwise – they do it. When our Lord said, “Come follow me” he was not only dealing with the issues of obedience and evangelism, he was also dealing with the issue of service. If the Lord could humble himself to do the kinds of things that he routinely did – cannot we also serve on bended knee?
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About the Book
It is an amazing experience to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. The core of that experience is the cadre of professors that God has brought there over the years, since the seminary’s founding in 1812.
Those professors have taught over 25,000 men and women how to prepare for ministry in the pastorate, and in the academy. They have taught them the effective ways to study and to understand God’s word - and how to articulate that understanding from the pulpit, and in the classroom.
Dr. David Willis is one of those extraordinary academicians, and is the former Chair of the Theology Department. He is also a former pastor. David has been a special friend and mentor to hundreds of seminary students who have been challenged and inspired by his theological wisdom, his personal warmth and self-deprecating humor, and his personal friendship.
“For the Love of God” is a distillation of his actual classroom comments - as recorded by me - over the course of the several years that I had the privilege of studying under him at
The first half of this book is devoted to taking actual comments made by Dr. Willis - connecting them to Scripture - and then wording a brief commentary on them which I hope will be helpful.
The second half of the book is filled with “one-liners” from Dr. Willis’ lectures, and is in a “jot-down/make notes” kind of format.
This book is designed for any reader who would like the privilege, (and it truly is a privilege!), to benefit from the superior teaching of a truly great professor. I know David Willis well enough now, to know that his studies, his writing, his preaching, his teaching, and his living of his life are all done for “The Love of God”.
About the Author
• Twenty seven years in financial services, culminating with the presidency of Planned Giving Systems in
• Served as trustee on 22 boards and as president of 12 organizations, including National President of Pi Kappa Alpha.
• Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and Doctor of Ministry from Louisiana Baptist university and Seminary.
• Served on the national staffs of Promise Keepers, PhilanthroCorp, and the National Coalition for Protection of Children and Families.
• Dr. Sallquist is Headmaster of Miami Valley Christian Academy. He was selected for “Who’s Who of Professional Educators”.
• Gary and Joyce’s immediate family includes Steve and Chrysa, Emma and Liam Sallquist; and Susie and J. P. Rail.
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