Three Goals to Guide You
Since we are living in the days when the signs of the times are moving towards the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord, there are, here and there, visits to be made, greetings to be shared and hungry souls to be fed. As I contemplate the Christadelphians today, humbled by my privilege to speak to you, I turn to our Heavenly Father for His divine guidance. In this spirit I try to provide each member throughout the world three goals to meet:
To study diligently
To pray earnestly
To serve willingly
Let us consider each of these goals: firstly, study diligently. The Lord Jesus our Saviour instructed us to seek out of the best books, words of wisdom; seek learning by study and faith. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.”
A study of the scriptures will help our testimonies and the testimonies of family members. Our children today are growing up surrounded by voices urging them to abandon that which is right and to pursue, instead, the pleasures of the world. Unless they have a firm foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a testimony of truth and a determination to live righteously, they are susceptible to these influences. It is our responsibility as parents to fortify and protect them.
To an alarming extent, our children today are being educated by the media including the internet. In the USA it is reported that a child watches television for four hours a day on average. Much of the programming is filled with violence, alcohol, drug abuse, and sex. Watching movies and playing electronic games is in addition to the four hours. So it is our responsibility not only to teach them to be sound in spirit and doctrine, but also to help them to stay that way regardless of the outside voices they may encounter. This will require much time and effort on our part and they will need the spiritual and moral courage to withstand the evil we see on every side.
But to be learned in worldly things is good as long as they hearken to the counsel of God. This requires the courage to hold fast to our standards despite the derision of the world. I urge you to study diligently the word of God, the Bible, to remind you that it is the human’s manual from God, since He did not leave us unarmed. In the world, every sophisticated piece of machinery has a manual: TVs, DVDs, radios, etc. Your spiritual talent will expand as you study and learn. You will be better able to assist your families in their learning. You will have peace of mind in knowing that you have prepared yourself for the eventualities that you may encounter in life. I reiterate: study diligently.
The second goal I wish to consider is: pray earnestly, fervently and without ceasing (Luke 18:1; 1 Thes 5:17; James 5:16). Perhaps there has never been a time when we had such great need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defence against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the blessings we need and the support we require to make our way in these times in our difficult and challenging journey that we call mortality.
We teach the importance of prayer to our children and grand-children both by word and example. So, my dear sisters and brothers, do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle.
Finally: serve willingly. You are, of course, surrounded by opportunities for serving. No doubt they are times when you fully recognize these opportunities and are somewhat overwhelmed. Where do you begin? How can you do it all? How do you choose from all the needs you observe, where and how to serve?
I learnt recently of a loving service given to a mother when her children were very young. Frequently she would be up in the middle of the night tending to the needs of her little ones, as mothers do. Often her friend and neighbour across the street could come the next day and say, ‘I saw your lights on in the middle of the night and know you were up with the children. I am going to take them to my house for a couple of hours while you have a nap’. This was an act of service provided willingly without fault-finding.
So my brothers and sisters, I extol you who, with loving care and concern, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and house the homeless. He who notes the sparrow’s fall will not be unmindful of such service. The desire to help, the willingness to aid and the graciousness to give come from the heart filled with the Lord. Serve willingly.
PERSEVERE
It seems that an old dog fell into a farmer’s well. After considering the situation, the farmer decided that neither the dog nor the well were worth saving. So he decided to bury the old dog and put him out of his misery.
When the farmer began shovelling, the dog went hysterical. But as the farmer kept on shovelling, and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck the old dog.
Each time a shovel full of the dirt hit his back, the dog would shake off the dirt and step up.
No matter how painful those shovels of dirt were, the old dog fought panic, he just kept shaking it off and stepping up.
Finally, the dog, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well. What he thought would bury him actually benefitted him because of the way he handled his adversity.
Perseverance is the ability to shake it off and step up when a load of trials are dumped on you.
(Reproduced from Scripture News Digest)
Bro John Wilo Wise (Mazowe, Zimbabwe)
