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.’