Do good

John Wesley, ‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.’

In our society, the term ‘do-gooder’ has become pejorative; it is used as an insult. But doing good should not be seen in this way. Jesus, ‘went around doing good’ (Acts 10:38).

St Paul writes to Titus, ‘Remind the people… to be ready to do whatever is good’ (Titus 3:1). His desire is that those who have trusted in God ‘devote themselves to doing what is good’(vv.8,14).

Holiness

Our culture dislikes the idea of holiness, but when people see a holy life they are captivated by it. True ‘holiness’ is when you leave every person more alive than when you found them.

Strife

Joyce Meyer writes, ‘Strife is bickering, arguing, heated disagreement, and an angry undercurrent. Strife is dangerous and destructive.’ Keeping strife out of our lives ‘requires willingness to constantly communicate and confront issues... ask for the Holy Spirit’s help to be a person who avoids strife and restores peace everywhere you go.’

Courage

We are not cowards if we feel afraid. In fact, there can be no courage unless you are scared. Courage is doing what you are afraid to do, and not allowing fear to rule your decisions. To overcome your fears, God has equipped you with the Holy Spirit and with ‘power, love and self-discipline’ (v.7b).

Money

Share your resources John Wesley said, ‘When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.’ Generosity is the way to break the hold of money in our lives. ‘Be extravagantly generous’ (v.18, MSG). Everything you own ultimately comes from God. Therefore, be willing to share it with others. Francis Bacon said, ‘Money is like manure. It’s not good unless it is spread around.’

Faithfulness

Mother Teresa said, ‘I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.’

In chapter 45 we encounter another person’s discouragement and disappointment – Jeremiah’s associate Baruch. Baruch, in spite of being of high birth, had to play second fiddle to Jeremiah. His role was to record Jeremiah’s prophecies. He despaired of the fruitlessness of his efforts. He said ‘Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest’ (45:3).

But the Lord says, ‘Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not’ (v.5).

It is always a temptation to be self-centred and to seek great things for ourselves – whether through money, success, position, fame, reputation or respectability – but we must never seek any of these things for ourselves. At the end of the day, it does not matter if our life appears to have been a failure and ends in disappointment. What matters is faithfulness to the Lord. God will reward each person according to their faithfulness, not according to their apparent success (see Matthew 25:14–30).

When you are faithful to God, you allow him to work and to achieve his plans through your life. Jeremiah and Baruch must have felt like failures, and yet few people in history have had a greater impact than they. The prophecies they recorded are a key part of God’s revelation to the world, and contain some of the most important prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament – and how many authors can claim a readership of billions over 2,500 years after their death?

Great faith through great fights

Life was not always easy for Smith Wigglesworth. He went through some very hard times. He wrote, ‘Great faith is a product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.’

Faith needs testing

A faith that has not been tested cannot be trusted. We are tested by difficulties, disappointments and desert times. Hopefully these mature us, develop our character and make us ready for leadership.

Servant leadership

Albert Einstein once said, ‘Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.’ If service is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you.

Prayer

Prayer is the most important activity of your life. It is the main way in which you develop a relationship with your Father in heaven. If you love someone, naturally you will want to spend time in their presence communicating with them. Like any relationship, communication can take many different forms. Lancelot Andrewes (1555–1626), one of the great theologians and preachers of his day, wrote two lists in his Private Devotions: First, he wrote a list of times of prayer in the Bible: ‘Always... Without ceasing... At all times... Three times a day... Evening, and morning, and at noon... Seven times a day... In the morning, a great while before day... At daybreak... The third hour of the day... About the sixth hour... The hour of prayer, the ninth... The evening... By night... At midnight...’ Next, he wrote a list of places of prayer in the Bible: ‘In the assembly... and in the congregation... Your closet... An upper room... A housetop... The temple... On the shore... A garden... On their beds... A desert place... In every place...’ There is no limit to the times, places and different ways in which you can pray.

Getting it wrong

Of course, none of us get it right all the time. We all make mistakes. As Ken Costa writes, ‘We only grow in wisdom if we learn from our mistakes. Siegmund Warburg [Ken’s first boss] said on this subject: “Some name it disappointment and become poorer, others name it experience and become richer.”’

Direct me

Psalm 119:35 ‘Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.’ Delight is such a wonderful word. The last place you would expect to find it is in obeying commands.

Do right thing

Martin Luther King said, ‘On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, “Is it safe?” Expediency asks the question, “Is it politic?” And Vanity comes along and asks the question, “Is it popular?” But Conscience asks the question, “Is it right?”
‘The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of convenience, but where they stand in moments of challenge, moments of great crisis and controversy.’

Direct me

Psalm 119:35 ‘Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.’ Delight is such a wonderful word. The last place you would expect to find it is in obeying commands.

Encouragement is like sunshine

Encouragement is like sunshine. It warms our hearts and brings light to our lives. God himself has given you ‘eternal encouragement’ (v.16) and wants to encourage your heart. God encourages you so that you may encourage and help others ‘in every good deed and word’ (v.17). We are encouraged to live like Jesus ‘who went around doing good’ (Acts 10:38).

I live as though

Martin Luther said, ‘I live as though Jesus Christ had been crucified yesterday, had risen this morning and was coming again tomorrow.’

Seek with all your heart

Jeremiah 29:13–14b ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.’

Bloom where planted

Sometimes the place where you find yourself is not where you want to be but if God has led you there, then that place must be fertile ground for God’s work in you to thrive.

A heart to know God

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord . They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. Jer. 24:7 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/jer.24.7.NIVUK

Joy

‘Surprised by joy’ is how C.S. Lewis described his conversion from atheism to faith in Jesus Christ. He had never expected that there was any connection between God and joy. If anything, he had thought it would be the opposite: ‘For all I knew, the total rejection of what I called Joy might be one of the demands.’ Convinced that it was true, Lewis ‘admitted that God was God’. At that moment, he was ‘the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England’. To his great surprise he found that following Jesus was the very opposite to what he expected. He experienced great joy through his new-found faith. He discovered that ‘the heart of reality’ is to be found in a Person. He was surprised by joy. Many people confuse pleasure, contentment and joy. ‘Pleasure’ can come from a good holiday, a pay rise or a box of chocolates. People can become pleasure addicts – always seeking the next fix. But these experiences of pleasure come and go. ‘Contentment’ is longer term – being satisfied with your life, your home, your job and your relationships. But there is another kind of happiness that we call ‘joy’. It is not a fleeting emotion, but a deep way of being – a state of mind that is available to everybody. It is not found in things, but in a Person. 

Those who trust

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’ Jer. 17:8 NIVUK http://bible.com/113/jer.17.8.NIVUK

Trust

‘Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.’ Trust is being able to let go and give oneself, or a situation, over to God, without holding back. It is a child in a parent’s arms, never doubting for a moment that they are safe.

Worst of times can be the best of times

Rick Warren points out that, ‘In the 1930s [recession] there were two things that increased: theatre attendance and church attendance. People were looking for escapism and they were looking for meaning. The economy is very tough right now. This really is a good thing. This is the time for us to expand and push out, not for us to retreat.’ The worst of times can be the best of times.

Serve God now

Rather than looking to the future when you might be in a better situation in which to serve God, focus on how you can serve God in the present, whatever the situation.

Let God's peace guide you

God’s peace acts like a referee in your heart – telling you what is in and what is out. One of the questions you should ask about any decision is: ‘Do I sense God’s peace about what I am about to do?’

Love should stand out...an action

Love is not just an emotion; it is an action. It is something you ‘put on’. As you put on your physical clothes, so you are to put on love. This is the beauty of the Christian community – Christ brings about a radical change in your relationships. The way Christians relate is so different from the world and should be so attractive.

Foregiveness

Forgiveness is a uniquely Christian virtue. Others may forgive, but only Christians have such a solid basis for forgiveness. As C.S. Lewis says, ‘To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.’

Those who hurt could be hurting more

It is so easy to gloat when those who have been causing us problems and opposing us mess up and fall. It is rather tempting to enjoy the moment. But this is the wrong response. Watch your heart and resist these thoughts. As Joyce Meyer writes, ‘It takes a lot of “heart work” for us not to be at least a little bit glad to see that person get what is coming to [them]... We should always remember that “hurting people hurt people”. Those who hurt us are usually hurting within themselves, and their pain may be so strong that they are not even aware they are hurting us.’

Don't add anything

Jesus has done it all. You don’t need to add anything: ‘So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services or holy days’ (v.16, MSG). All you need is Christ ‘who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us’ (v.19 MSG).

Attitude of gratitude

St John of Avila (1500–1569) wrote, ‘One act of thanksgiving when things go wrong with us is worth a thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our inclination.’

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.

It is indeed right,
It is our duty and our joy,
at all times and in all places
to give you thanks and praise
holy Father, heavenly King,
almighty and eternal God,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.

Therefore with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
we proclaim your great and glorious name,
forever praising you and saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

Cannot love without giving

Paul praises the Philippians for their generosity, which is a ‘fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God’ (v.18). This generosity is a part of love. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. God promises that he will meet all your ‘needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus’ (v.19), as you live a generous life free of financial worries. This includes your material needs – though not necessarily your wants. ‘You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus’ (v.19, MSG). You cannot out-give God.

What you dwell on

As Martin Luther said, ‘You can’t stop a bird flying overhead, but you can stop it nesting in your hair.’ The way to get wrong thoughts out is to get right thoughts in. Your mind cannot be unoccupied. If you don’t occupy your mind with good thoughts the enemy will fill it with bad ones. Follow Paul’s advice: ‘you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best’ (v.8, MSG). He realises that what you think about will affect every area of your life. Fill your mind with good things, whatever ‘is excellent and praiseworthy’ (v.8). Think about what you think about. The root of our problems may be our thought life. If you change the things you allow your mind to dwell on, ‘God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies’ (v.9, MSG). The hardest part is always putting all this ‘into practice’ (v.9). The only way of learning any skill, trade or sport is by practising. Practise avoiding quarrels, staying united with other Christians (vv.2–3) and avoiding anxiety by continual prayer. If you do, then Paul promises that ‘the God of peace will be with you’ (v.9).

Peace

The word for peace means far more than an absence of hostility. It means wholeness, soundness, well-being, oneness with God and every kind of blessing and good. It is a peace ‘which transcends all understanding’. It surpasses both your ability to cope, and your anxiety about what is to come.

Worry is not living

Corrie ten Boom defined worry as ‘a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a centre of fear’. Worry can wreck our lives. Some of our worries, like Paul’s, are real, and some are illusory, but in either case, a life weighed down by worry is not really living.

Peace and contentment

‘Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’ (vv.6–7, AMP). This is a remarkable and wonderful promise, and one that I have claimed and experienced many times in my own life.

Contentment

‘Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor,’ said the American Statesman, Benjamin Franklin. Few people seem to be genuinely content. As Martin Luther once said, ‘Contentment is a rare bird, but it sings sweetly in the breast.’

Came to destroy religion

Karl Barth once said, ‘Jesus Christ came to destroy religion.’

Blessing machine

Archie Coates, vicar of St Peter’s Brighton, speaks of the church as a ‘blessing machine’. That is exactly what we as Christians are called to be – as the church and as individuals – and you really can be a blessing machine.