Reading to Guard the Heart

From a CJ Mahaney inter­view (empha­sis mine):

…I view read­ing and study as one of the most impor­tant ways I can serve the church. So it is not a self­ish act for me to set aside this time. It is really the most effec­tive way I can serve this church, by tend­ing to my soul and by prepar­ing for the var­i­ous forms and expres­sions of min­istry. The best way I can serve a church is by respond­ing to the com­mand to watch your life and watch your doc­trine (1 Tim 4:16). It is the exam­ple of a pas­tor over a period of years and decades that will make a dif­fer­ence in the life of a con­gre­ga­tion. And there­fore I want to guard my heart from grow­ing famil­iar with the pas­toral world, grow­ing famil­iar with God’s Word, grow­ing famil­iar with cor­po­rate wor­ship, grow­ing famil­iar when I am lis­ten­ing to preach­ing, grow­ing famil­iar when I am tak­ing com­mu­nion, grow­ing famil­iar with God. I want to guard my heart from that. And the best way I can do that is by attend­ing to his Word and apply­ing his Word to my heart on a daily basis. I think that is the most effec­tive way I can serve those I care for and those I have been called to serve and lead.