Rev. James Fleetwood, a beloved nineteenth-century Baptist preacher, died on December 20, 1862. His biographer put it vividly: “On the evening of his departure, at about nine o’clock … he commenced to praise God … and bidding goodbye to his wife [and others], with the light of heaven beaming from his emaciated countenance, he made a convulsive and strenuous effort to exclaim ‘Glory,’ And then…the weary wheels of life stood still, and his glorified spirit took its place before the throne.” 

A friend of Fleetwood’s said of him, “He lived the Gospel which he preached.”¹ Could there be a better testimony than that! 

Oh, that we might all live the Gospel we preach so that when the “weary wheels of life” stand still, we will be able to shout “Glory!” and be with our Lord. One of the best ways to spread the Gospel is by living it. Do you show others the love of Christ in your daily life? Ask God to show you opportunities to exhibit His love by helping others each day.

To love to preach is one thing—to love those to whom we preach, quite another.
Richard Cecil