Live Wisely among unbelievers

Col 4:5-6  Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Live wisely; speaking about Jesus is vitally important but unless we are living wisely our lives will undermine our message. What do unbelievers say about us? Is it justified? If we are wise we won’t provoke an argument, but rather cultivate compassion, grow in grace and treat people with dignity and respect, being quick and active in our listening. This is surely what it means to treat others as we would like to be treated. We want to be the kind of people that others are energised by. Rather than self absorbed, talkers who have got life sorted we need to reach out in humility and be ready to provoke thought and reflection through what we say. Let us be bold in challenging cultural norms but gracious too, treating each person as an individual made in His image.

Father, may you reveal to us where we are failing to live wisely and help us to change.      

12 Reasons NOT to Give to World Missions

We don’t need to give because our small gifts don’t make any difference.

We don’t need to give because giving requires a small amount of effort on our part and we can’t be bothered.

We don’t need to give because no one ever gave us anything.

We don’t need to give because there are always better things we can spend our money on like fine wine, fuel for our cars or products to make us look more attractive.

We don’t need to give because giving is about showing God’s love and we don’t care.

We don’t need to give because giving is about sharing in the task we don’t believe God has given us.   

We don’t need to give because we aren’t grateful for Jesus death on our behalf.

We don’t need to give because we cannot afford to give.

We don’t need to give because we don’t personally know anyone in need and in any case we are suffering
compassion fatigue from all those distressing pictures on TV.

We don’t need to give because the poor don’t mind if their babies die of diseases that are cheaply and easily treated; there are plenty more babies to take their place.

We don’t need to give because we already give to our local church and that is enough to transform lives across the world.       

We don’t need to give so that the Gospel is proclaimed because men, women and children are better off living in ignorance and going to hell.

So why give?

If you are not convinced by the reasons above and feel despite these you should give why not give to SIM a International Christian mission agency working in some of the neediest countries in the world. We seek to proclaim the Gospel and show God’s love in very practical ways in some of the world’s poorest countries. Information of what you can support and how to give at www.sim.co.uk or www.simusa.org

One Prayer to Change the World

Col 4:2-4 Pray for us too that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ...Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

Paul was a bold evangelist who was ready to speak about Jesus on all occasions despite suffering severe persecution numerous times. Paul lived in a more ‘religious’ culture than our own and many people will have spoken about God or their gods and the spiritual realm more freely than in the western world today.  Yet Paul here is asking the Colossian believers to pray that he and the others with him get MANY opportunities to speak about Jesus. Paul is aware it’s not wise to force the issue or preach at people, he wants God given opportunities with those God is already at work in. Paul doesn’t just want one or two opportunities but MANY, not just for himself but for those with him. If we earnestly pray for each other to have many opportunities to speak I believe God will give them. Then we will be praying in earnest the second part of the prayer that we would proclaim the message clearly.  Please pray for me to have many opportunities in this next month and I will pray the same for you my readers and then we will have things to share with each other. If we get many opportunities it is only a matter of time before we find people who are ready to give their lives to Jesus.

Father, may we make the most of the opportunities you give us today.   

Joy at Work 3

Col 3:22-24 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

If we serve with sincerity then we are being truly honest, it is about showing integrity in the way we do our work. This honesty is more than telling the truth, it involves a consistent, faithful, dependability as well as being careful in the way we use things and treat everyone whatever position they hold.  It is striking to go into some work environments such as a local school where many of the staff would say they believe in equality to note how much of a hierarchy there is. Young, new teachers may feel they get a raw deal compared to senior staff, teaching assistants often feel hard done to, but they then treat exam invigilators as inferior. They, in turn, totally ignore cleaners who are often treated as sub human species. Integrity is about valuing every member of staff as a human being made in God’s image and worthy of respect. Our work, including how we treat people is an expression of what is important to us and who we really are. Our work is not just completing the assigned task but an opportunity to show consideration for those around us.

Father, help us to work with sincerity and value all those we work with.

JOY at Work 2

Colossians 3:22 Employees, do what you're told by your bosses in everything. And don't just do the minimum that you can get away with. Do your best. Work from the heart for God is your real boss.

I have taken the liberty of changing the terms slaves and masters in this verse to apply it to our lives more readily. But whether we are working for our employer, the church, our parents or ourselves the principle is the same. Our true boss is no less than God himself. For this reason everything we do both seen and unseen should be done as though Jesus was standing next to us asking us to do it for him. It is not just the performance and quality of the work but our heart attitude which is important. We may want to please others and appreciate some recognition for our hard work but what God loves is a willingness and readiness to work in a way which shows our love for God. Even the smallest and most mundane task can be transformed if we do it prayerfully with God’s help and with his love in our hearts. People notice when we give our best, when we are willing to go against the culture and do, even tedious tasks, in a way which pleases God and shines a light for him. All work can then be said to be missionary, speaking out the message that what we do as well as what we say has eternal significance.

Father help us to honour you by working wholeheartedly at everything you give us to do.      

The Brother Lawrence Guide to Joy at Work

Matthew 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

  

No matter how difficult, mundane or boring, your job you can be transformed by God as you do it. Brother Lawrence was a monk in the fifteenth century who was a cook who catered for as many as a hundred people. He developed his life with God in such a way that people came to see him doing the washing up because he did it with the presence of God visibly on him.  Can we do the same thing? Brother Lawrence said you don’t need to be a monk to do it! There are 5 key principles:

 

1.       Seek God’s Presence – Keep short accounts with God, in other words deal with sin as quickly and thoroughly as possible. This is not perfection or being very holy but just saying sorry every time God shows us sin, turning away from sin and accepting forgiveness. If you think you are without sin ask God to reveal your sin to you.

2.       See God’s Presence- We need to see God in every aspect of life. We need to recognise and grow in our appreciation of God even in the most mundane of tasks.

3.       Live in God’s Presence –Absolutely everything we do we need to do as loving or kind acts for God. If we cannot do a particular thing in this way maybe we shouldn’t be doing it. In other words we are being just as spiritual shopping or ironing as praying or reading the Bible and all of these activities are important to God. We must never tire of doing little things for the love of God, for Him it’s not the size or importance of a job that’s of value but our love.

4.       Speak in the Presence of God –Continually offer simple, short prayers to God throughout the day. E.g. I give myself fully to you. I love you. Help me to love you fully. Before a task we might ask God to give us strength and help us to do it with Him. As we continue working ask again for his help. Give thanks after a task is completed for all the good that was accomplished.

5.       Value God’s Presence – We need to value God’s presence above everything else but not for our own pleasure or benefit but because God wants it. Our motive must be love of God. Brother Lawrence writes, “There is no way of life in the world more agreeable or delightful than continual conversation with God; only those who practice and experience it can understand it.”  

  

Father, help us to live close to you every moment of the day.

(The points above are adapted from Exiles –Living Missionally in a Post Christian Culture by Michael Frost chapter 3 who quotes from Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God: With Spiritual Maxims)

The Dreaded sin of Ungratefulness

Col 1:3 We always pray for you and we give thanks to God...v11b-12 May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful  heart.

The apostle Paul is very grateful to God for being gracious to him, for rescuing him and giving him all he needed. Paul expresses his thanks both to God in prayer and to his brothers and sisters in Christ on numerous occasions in his letters and we can be certain he also thanked people face to face. He recognised that even if some had a duty to give to him he was still thankful. Thankfulness was not an afterthought but a lifestyle. Paul was generous and gave himself wholeheartedly in serving others and yet some who had benefitted from his ministry didn’t seem to be very appreciative. He, on the other hand was very grateful to those who helped him. It is too easy to take people’s help and generosity for granted, just because people have helped us in the past we must not be less thankful, but more making sure we express it with our lips. It is easier to grumble and complain but let us choose instead to let God and those around us hear our grateful thanks.

Father may we not neglect to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the wonderful things you have done and even for the hard things we have endured to make us more like you.  

Olympics and Justice -do we care?

In the UK there have been celebrations and great national pride that the staging of the Olympics has gone so well. More than any time before, the nation has been behind our athletes and rejoiced in their success. In many ways the achievements of these men and women are an inspiration. Ordinary humans have pushed themselves to extraordinary physical capabilities. They have had to devote their lives and train with great dedication. They have also had many privileges and opportunities and some have had very significant support teams and expert help. Our cyclists easily won more gold medals than all other nations on earth put together, for the second Olympics in a row. This is in no small measure due to money, very careful planning and a very dedicated team. Compare this to the Nigerien rowing team that didn’t exist four months before the Olympics. The team has one 35 year old gardener, Hamidou who had never rowed until 3 months before the event. He didn’t have a sports psychologist, a manager or physiotherapist; I don't think he even had a coach. No one else in his country has ever competed in a rowing event; he doesn’t even own a boat! In fact his country has won only a single bronze medal (in 1972) throughout Olympic history which is actually better than neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso who have never won anything. The combined populations of these three countries in the Sahel region of Africa are over 50 million and yet it is virtually impossible for a single person in these countries to remain in their home country and get a medal. The Olympics is said to be a global event and some poor countries do get medals but the vast majority of medals go to rich nations. Where is India in the medal table with a population much bigger than the whole of Europe and the US combined? They did not get a single gold medal, in fact they only got 6 in total, compared to 104 for the US. God cares about justice and so should we!  

Work Hard at Obeying God with Deep Reverence & Fear

Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT) Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Work hard by obeying God with deep reverence and fear. Jesus too, told people to fear God in Luke 12:5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear. But this fear or deep reverence has not solely to do with eternal punishment but to do with our daily attitude and thinking. Often we may unconsciously ask what we can get away with; are Christians allowed to work on a Sunday?  for example, when there are better and more fundamental questions to ask. Perhaps we should ask how best can I serve you? The command to have deep reverence and fear surely means we need to take what God says in his word very seriously. Is what we think about work, relationships, or leisure activities in line with what God says in his word? Is the way I behave displaying a readiness to obey God quickly or a careless disregard for what God wants? Not what I want but what God wants is what true reverence has to be about.   

Father, help us to make your name holy by living lives of deep reverence, humbly and obediently submitting to your will.

Highly motivated to achieve the Goal

Philippians 2:1-2 (NLT) Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?  Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

The key to high levels of motivation lie in a strong team working together for a common goal. Those who succeed in achieving great things at the Olympics normally have a strong team supporting them and urging them on. For teams to work well together disagreement is not silenced but a genuine commitment to the good of others is encouraged. This is not about being nice or suffering in silence but about speaking the truth in love. As believers we need to agree to the fundamentals of faith but are bound to disagree on much else at times. However we are called to consciously speak of those things that have comforted and encouraged us. However those, particularly leaders, who constantly spout positive speak and make little effort to listen become self consumed, proud and insensitive to those they should show compassion to. Churches and leadership teams within them should be strongly motivated to achieve the great commission but the danger is we lose sight of our goal and fail to commit to others as we get too busy with secondary issues and activities.

Father help us to motivate others through listening, encouragement and empathy.