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Category: Work

  • Top 12 Temptations at Work

    Top 12 Temptations at Work

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    Series: Born to Work (Part 4), By Rosie Moore.

    “There are things for humans to do all day long without His minding in the least – sleeping, washing, eating, drinking, making love, playing, praying, working. Everything has to be twisted before it’s any use to us” (CS Lewis).

    Screwtape, a cunning devil, advises his nephew Wormwood on how to twist and distort good gifts like work so that instead of being a blessing, it becomes a curse. Our everyday work presents ample opportunities for good, but it also brings temptations for sin and disorder.

    Two biblical concepts—Authority and Accountability—shape relationships in the workplace and provide guidance for navigating its challenges.

    Authority.

    As Creator and ruler of His world, God has designed a balance of human authority in various spheres—family, church, state, and workplace—each with its own jurisdiction. When we fulfil our roles within this framework, a good balance is achieved. But whenever we abandon God’s framework, we reap disorder.

    In the workplace, employers are to exercise good leadership and impartiality. They are responsible for providing protection and direction to employees, opportunities for growth, disciplining wrongdoers, and praising those who do well. They are called to treat their employees justly and fairly, knowing that they also have a Master in heaven (Col 4:1; Eph 6:9).

    On the other hand, employees are called to “be subject to [their] masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust” (1 Peter 2:18). They are to obey and serve their employers diligently “and do it, not only when their eye is on [them] and to curry favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord” (Colossians 3:22-23). Workers are to be “well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour” (Titus 2:9-10).

    Although this model is not in vogue today, it is clearly God’s established order throughout Scripture and bears powerful witness to the gospel.

    Accountability.

    The Bible teaches that all human authorities are accountable to God in how they exercise their authority. Likewise, workers are accountable to God for their responses to authority. Authority and accountability are the two sturdy legs on which healthy workplace relationships stand.

    The gospel’s message of equal obligation is a radical one that transforms the employment relationship for disciples of Christ. We see this in the earliest gospel pronouncements of the New Testament:

    In Luke 3, John the Baptist provides real-life examples from the workplace to illustrate how to “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8). First, he urges believers who have abundant possessions to share with those who have nothing (Luke 3:10). Then, John instructs Christian tax collectors not to exploit their power for personal gain. He tells soldiers, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay” (Luke 3:14). Here, the evidence of true faith is seen in the context of work.

    Similarly, Paul writes to believing slaves to improve their situation if it will honour God: “If you can gain your freedom, do so”. But just before, he says, “Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you” (1 Cor 7:21). The fruit of repentance is visible in both our diligence and contentment at work, and we will all answer to Christ, regardless of our role or position.

    Often, it is in the pressure cooker of the workplace that our Christian character is tenderised, tested and put on exhibition for the world to see. Charles Spurgeon aptly captures this truth: “Grace makes us the servants of God while still the servants of men… It sanctifies the common duties of life by showing us how to perform them in the light of heaven.”

    Paul urges both bondservants and masters to submit themselves to Christ as Lord. Knowing that we are servants of Christ is the greatest safeguard against temptation at work.

    Servants of Christ.

    “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him” (Ephesians 6:5-9).

    While God does not show partiality based on our rank or power, there are specific temptations that attach to our roles as employers and employees. Here are my top twelve:

    Temptations at work.

    1. Abuse of power: In Colossians 4:1, Paul instructs employers, “Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.”

    Those in positions of authority will always be tempted to treat workers as a means to an end, rather than as human beings made in the image of God. A Christian employer should exercise self-control, gentleness and consistency, mindful of the temptation to prioritize appearances over the Lord’s impartial eye (Ephesians 6:9). Favouritism is a common temptation for employers, which is why Paul emphasizes fairness.

    2. Bad attitude: An employee should work with a willing, sincere heart, not just when the boss is around (Colossians 3:22). A complaining, entitled, or sullen spirit violates God’s instruction in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

    3. Workaholism: “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:6).

    Though work is a good thing, any fixation other than God becomes an idol. Jesus said that if money is our master, then God is not (Matthew 6:24).

    Workaholism often arises out of anxiety, fear, perfectionism and need for approval, but it is a sin which we need to confess and forsake before it takes hold. God knows our needs and has promised to provide (Matthew 6:25-34). One sure way to resist the idol of work is to observe a Sabbath every week, as it reminds us of our dependence on God’s provision. When we take a day of rest, we remember that Christ is the Lord and we are not (Ex 20:10.)

    4. Slackness: “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys” (Proverbs 18:9).

    Slackness is a subtle temptation. Solomon points out that negligence from a worker can destroy projects and relationships. A careless and apathetic attitude is hard to pin down, but it is contagious in an organisation and as dangerous as a deliberate act of sabotage. That’s why the Bible points us to the ways of the ant in our work (Prov 6:6-8). It is wise to build conscientious habits into our day to safeguard ourselves against slackness.

    5. Envy and selfish ambition: “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:16.) “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.” (Ex 20:17).

    Envy and selfish ambition lead to discontent and rivalry at work. In a chapter titled “Trusting God for who you are”, Jerry Bridges exposes the sinful roots of envy in our vocations. His last sentence is profound—

    “Just as we must trust God for who we are, we must also trust Him for what we are—whether it be an engineer or missionary, a homemaker or a nurse. If there is one area of life where the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” applies, surely it is the area of vocational calling and station in life. Someone has estimated that as many as eighty percent of our work force are dissatisfied with the jobs they are in. For many of us that may be due to a reluctance to be what God planned for us to be.”

    6. Greed: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” (1 Tim 6:9) “Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

    God does not bless us in our work so that we can hoard our wealth or covet our neighbour’s greater wealth. Greed is a temptation that we all face as workers, rich and poor alike.

    7. Withholding wages: “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty” (James 5:4)

    Failure to pay a worker or supplier of services is an injustice against the Lord, “For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain” and “the labourer deserves his wages”(1 Tim 5:18).

    8. Corruption: “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel” (Prov 20:17) “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” (Prov 11:1) “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them” (Prov 11:3). “Yet Samuel’s sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice” (1 Sam 8:3)

    Samuel’s sons were appointed to be judges over Israel, but turned out to be corrupt, much like Eli’s sons (1 Sam 2:12). Today, it seems that corruption, collusion and ill-gotten gain are as prevalent as in Israel at the time of the Judges. A Christian upbringing is no guarantee of integrity, as Eli and Samuel discovered.

    Because workers often stand at the coalface of corruption, parents and churches have an awesome responsibility to prepare our children to fear God and resist moral compromise at work. We must talk about these things with our children, preparing them to recognise and expose corruption when they encounter it.

    9. Exploitation: “But you have eyes and ears only for your dishonest gain for shedding innocent blood and for practicing oppression and violence” (Jer 22:17).

    God’s Old Testament laws gave the poor and vulnerable opportunities to improve their situation. They also revealed God’s anger towards those who take advantage of the needy (Deut 24:14-15; Lev 19:13). And so, we are not left guessing what God thinks of exploitation, bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace. These practices are vile and offensive to Him.

    10. Brooding: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Ps 16:8).

    Although our thought life is hidden from our work colleagues, it is a fertile soil for sin. Because of work’s thorns and thistles, we are often tempted to despair, to feel resentful or angry, to regret our failures and to judge the motives of others. When treated unfairly, we can quickly become a prisoner of our feelings. But Christians are called to capture every thought to the obedience of Christ, choosing to trust God rather than be ruled by our feelings. In 1 Peter 2:23,  workers are urged to let go of injustice and entrust ourselves “to Him who judges justly and bore our sins on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.”

    11. Compromise: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17).

    As pressure mounts from lobby groups and policies in the name of ‘Reproductive Healthcare;’ ‘Environmental justice,’ and ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’, Christians will be tempted to compromise their faith in the workplace. Pride Month draws a sharp line in the sand for Christians, calling us not just to tolerate sin, but to celebrate and align ourselves with it.

    The proposed Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill criminalises expressions deemed hate speech with a jail term of up to 8 years for offenders. But with no proper definition of “hate” and a subjective definition of “harm”, Christians in the workplace may face costly choices when pressured to violate God’s Word and their own conscience. Being Christ’s faithful servant at work may soon lead to more than just mockery, rejection and ridicule. Resisting compromise may result in dismissal, prosecution, fines and imprisonment.

    12. Idleness: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us… For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2 Thess 3:6, 10).

    Idleness is one of the more subtle temptations that we face as Christian workers. Paul singles out this sin in both his letters to the Thessalonian believers, so it was evidently a cultural problem that had been normalised in the church. Join us next week to unpack the maxim: “If anyone does not work, he will not eat.”

    Prayer.

    Lord, in whatever we do, we trust that you have equipped us to fulfil your purpose. You determine the course of our lives, so help us not to squander our stewardship at work. Help us to take every opportunity to improve our situation in a way that will honour you, but at the same time to embrace whatever vocation we are in and to accept the situations we cannot change. Give us daily strength to work with all our hearts, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since we know that we will receive an inheritance from you as a reward. Give us eyes to see that it is the Lord Christ we are serving, not men. All glory be to Christ our King. Amen.

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  • Our work and God’s work.

    Our work and God’s work.

    Series: Born to Work, By Rosie Moore. (part 3)

    “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied” (Prov 13:4)

    The Bible’s view of work as part of our worship and service to the Lord has proven to be wise advice.

    Research conducted by psychologist Angela Duckworth shows that we need meaningful work to thrive as human beings. If we work only to get rich, we find it unsatisfying, but if we throw ourselves wholeheartedly into our work and connect with people while doing it, we experience joy.

    Duckworth argues that it is ‘grit’, not talent that enables a worker to achieve his/her potential. She defines grit as the combined force of passion and perseverance for long term goals. Passion is a focused approach to something you care deeply about, while perseverance is the resilience and desire to work hard over the long haul. (Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth.)

    It’s no surprise that the Bible has been giving this wise counsel for thousands of years, because God is the inventor and model of work.

    Work is good for us.

    There are many benefits of hard work listed in the Bible. Here are a few to meditate on:

    • Work helps us escape the poverty and emptiness that idleness brings. “The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.” (Prov 21:25). “Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.” (Prov 20:4)
    • Hard work leads to healthy tiredness and restful sleep (Ecc 5:12)
    • Work provides a deserved income to meet our basic needs and legitimate pleasures (1 Thess 4:12; 2 Thess 3:10; Ecc 5:18-20). “The labourer deserves his wages” (1 Tim 5:8).
    • Work is God’s means to provide for our relatives, “and especially for our own household” (1 Tim 5:8).
    • Work increases the wellbeing of society, where each person enjoys the fruits of their own labours (Prov 14:23). “And each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid” (Micah 4:4). “You will eat the fruit of your labour; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” (Ps 128:2)
    • Work provides an income to give to God. (Prov 3:9-10)
    • Work provides an income to share with those who genuinely don’t have the opportunity or ability to work (Eph 4:28; 1 Thess 4:12).
    • Work provides a God-given sense of joyful accomplishment and fruitfulness (Ecc 9:7; 5:18).

    The idea of working to the glory of God and for the eye of our Lord Jesus was the foundation of the Protestant work ethic, which brought prosperity to the Western world. When we use our talents and connect with others to provide good service and products, we are contributing to human flourishing.

    That is why the 36% unemployment rate in South Africa is a terrible blight on our nation. Individuals and families cannot flourish in a society in which so many of its able people are unemployed and depend on the state for support.

    But even if a person is out of work, they still have a job to do. It is to spend every day looking for a job and being willing to do unpaid work until they find a paid job. If a jobless person does that, God is satisfied with their labours.

    Work is for God’s glory.

    Paul writes that we are called to glorify God in everything, including our work (1Cor 10:31). Thus, work is never futile labour, but a calling to serve Christ as a faithful servant wherever we find ourselves (Col 3:23; Matt 25:23). To appreciate this calling, it’s helpful to ponder on God Himself as the prototype of a worker:

    For all eternity, God has worked with unfathomable wisdom, skill, and creativity to create the universe, and sustain it. From the beginning, God blessed Adam and Eve and told them to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it, to rule over the fish, birds, every living thing that moves on the earth as His representatives.

    He gave us every tree that yields seed and fruit as food for us, every beast of the earth, every bird of the sky, every moving thing, and every green plant for food. Humanity was given the responsibility to care for God’s creation, to cultivate and tend to it for His glory and our good.

    It is this work which sets us apart from the animal kingdom (Gen 2:15). Animals don’t paint pictures or design beautiful buildings. They don’t grow gardens, make clothes, or cultivate farms. They don’t compose symphonies, produce movies, or cook three course meals. They don’t heal, invent, or start businesses. They don’t collaborate to build a city. That’s because animals are not made in God’s image and have not been given dominion over the earth as humans have (Gen 1:26).

    Likewise, Scripture describes Jesus as a worker. In John 9:4, Christ said, “I must do the works of My Father…My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34). “My Father is working still and I am working” (John 5:17).

    Having accomplished his work of creation and his work of redemption on the cross, Christ works to hold all creation together and lead his church (Col 1:16-17). Even today, He works to create, redeem, judge, and rule as God’s appointed King (Ps 2:4-6; 9). His work at the end of history will be to judge the living and the dead, to restore the new heavens and new earth, to rule with perfect justice and righteousness (Rev 6; Rev 21:2; Isa 33:5). God has a vast job description!

    The Holy Spirit is a worker too. He was brooding over the waters at Creation and continues to work powerfully to sustain the universe. Over a period of 1500 years, the Spirit inspired forty men to write the Bible perfectly and accurately. Today, whenever a sinful heart is regenerated and transformed, the Spirit is engaged in the work of redemption and renewal. He still works to enlighten, convict, save, fill, assure, comfort, sanctify and guide believers in wisdom all over the world.

    To use Angela Duckworth’s definition, God’s work is full of grit. It is persevering, eternal work with the long-term goal of complete redemption. That’s why human beings, made in God’s image, are commanded to work for six days, and on the seventh day, to rest (Ex 20:9-10).

    Even after the Fall, our earthly work is designed to redeem the cursed universe in some measure until the final Sabbath rest of the new creation:

    Work of redemption.

    We reflect God’s redemptive and reconciling work whenever we help people to repent and trust in Jesus, when we are peacemakers, and when we create order out of chaos or cultivate a farm out of virgin veld. We partake in His redemptive work when we do good things for the city we are living in, “because if there is peace in that city, you will have peace also” (Jer 29:7-11).

    Work of creation.

    We represent God’s creative work when we use our gifts to beautify the world, to express what is true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy through art, music, literature and architecture. Scripture gives many examples of gifted individuals who used their skills for God’s glory (2 Chron 2:7).

    In Exodus 35:10, Moses says, “Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded”. Again, in 28:3, God says, “You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood”.

    The Lord filled Bezalel, son or Uri, “with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and carving wood, to work in every craft…” (Ex 31:1-18). And Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, was appointed to direct the music, “for he understood it” (1 Chron 15:22).

    Clearly, we are not all skilled to do the same work, but each of us has a gift which we must use and cultivate for God’s glory and the good of humanity.

    Work of providence.

    “Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honoured” (Prov 27:18).

    We mimic the providential work of God when we tend to animals and plants; conserve nature for humanity to enjoy; provide generous hospitality and take good care of our natural resources and possessions. We partake in God’s work of providence when we feed and care for people, steward schools, parks and neighbourhoods. Adam was instructed to do this work in Genesis 2:15.

    Work of justice.

    Christians have a role to play in maintaining justice and restraining evil in the world. We imitate God’s work of justice when we contribute to our legal system; maintain law and order; work and pray for righteous laws and leaders to rule for the good of all citizens; and treat people fairly and impartially, hearing “the small and the great alike” (Deut 1:17).

    We do God’s work of justice when we defend the innocent from the oppressor and speak for the unborn who cannot speak for themselves (Prov 31:8; Prov 24:11-12; Jer 22:3). We do God’s work of justice when we pay our staff on time and do not exploit our vulnerable employees (Deut 24:14-15; Lev 19:13).

    God calls His people in every generation “to seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts” (Amos 5:15). Christ also calls Christians to uphold justice and truth in the local church (Matt 18:15-17).

    Work of compassion.

    We emulate God’s work of compassion and mercy when we are involved in comforting, healing, charitable, and shepherding vocations (James 2:13; Col 3:12; 1 Peter 5:4).

    Work of revelation.

    We mirror God’s revelationary work when we teach, speak, sing, or write words that express wisdom and insight. Daniel was an example of such a worker, “skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding and learning” (Daniel 1:3-4). In fact, every Christian is equipped to do the work of teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, provided that the “word of Christ is richly dwelling within us” (Col 3:16).

    The glory of the nations.

    In Revelation 21, John says that the kings of the earth will bring the “glory of the nations” into the new heavens and new earth. This seems to suggest that valid work from every nation will contribute something beautiful to the new creation, for the benefit of all God’s people (Rev 21:24-26). Our work is not wasted.

    But although our work is valuable, and should reflect the excellence and beauty of our God, Scripture warns that it should never become a source of pride, self-sufficiency or idolatry. Our work is for God’s glory, not our own. Paul warns Christians not to be driven by selfish ambition and vain conceit, but rather to serve humbly, as Christ served us in His work:

    “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil 2:3-4).

    Our work and God’s work.

    Truthfully, all our plans, efforts, and abilities are useless unless the Lord prospers them.

    We are called to be prudent in our work, but also to pray; to be diligent, but also to depend on the Lord. We are called to provide for our families, but also to trust in God’s providence, for it is the Lord who causes the sun to rise, and He sends the rain. While the farmer uses his skills and resources to plough, plant, fertilise, weed, and harvest a crop, he must also trust the Lord to control nature so his crop will grow.

    In an age of self-sufficiency, the Psalmist reminds workers to live in conscious dependence on God’s daily provision:

    “Unless the Lord builds the house,
        those who build it labour in vain.
    Unless the Lord watches over the city,
        the watchman stays awake in vain” (Ps 127:1)

    It is dangerous to reach a place of abundance and complacency where we say, as the Israelites said, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”

    Moses warns us: “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deut 8:17-18).

    Prayer

    Heavenly Father, for as long as you give us strength and opportunity, we long to do the work you have given us to do on earth. Help us to use our time wisely to steward your creation, and demonstrate love for you and our neighbour while we do it. Thank you for the privilege of partaking in your work in the world, and we ask for the ability and strength to do it excellently and faithfully, even though we will never do it perfectly. We ask that you establish the work of our hands and make it fruitful and pleasing to you.

    Amen.

  • Help me with my unbelief

    Help me with my unbelief

    By Eddie Lombard.

    21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23 “If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9: 21 – 24

    In this account, we find a boy who has been possessed by an evil spirit from childhood. The spirit has tried many times to kill him by throwing him into fire or water. This fire and water should remind us of God’s judgment and the fact that Satan has been trying to destroy man from the beginning. The disciples tried to drive out the evil spirit but could not dispute the fact that they could not do it. All this points us to the powerlessness of man and our deep need for a Saviour. Up steps Jesus and with a word He drives out the evil spirit. In doing this Jesus shows His unique ability to defeat Satan and save man.

    In the middle of all of this we have Jesus’ interaction with the boy’s father. At first, the father just wanted Jesus to do “anything” he could. In the father’s mind anything was better that what they had at that time. Jesus immediately challenges the father’s thinking and calls him to trust God because “everything is possible for one who believes”, even the saving of his son from a desperate and deadly situation. The father’s response is so telling. He wanted to believe but he knows that by himself he can’t and so he cries out for help:

    “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

    Jesus is unique. He is the only one that can save us from Satan and his plan to destroy us. Just like the father, we are called to “listen to Jesus”, to trust Him and Him alone. To cry out like the father did: “O Lord please help me with my unbelief”.

    Prayer:

    Ask God to help you to listen to Jesus and to cry out in your unbelief for help to trust Jesus.

  • Keeping your head in the heat of the kitchen

    Keeping your head in the heat of the kitchen

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]“It wasn’t long before the gracious hostess in Martha collapsed and the Queen of Hearts took over, pointing fingers and screaming, “Off with their heads! Off with everyone’s head!” 

    “The world clamours, “Do more! Be all that you can be!” But our Father whispers, “Be still and know that I am God.” ―  Joanna Weaver. *

    The short story of Mary and Martha has always fascinated me. In just five verses, which describe Jesus’ visit to a home in Bethany in the first century, God speaks volumes to our families and homes today. The short story is like a multi-course meal which gets richer the more we chew on it. It addresses the perils of a performance-driven Christian life where activities are placed before heart attitude. It challenges the notion that we can do something to earn God’s favour before or after we are saved. It shows how an inherently good act of service can easily become a destructive thing when our attitude is wrong. It draws the link between an intimate, vital relationship with Jesus and fruitful Christian service. It challenges us to check our priorities and put first things first. It asks Christians in the digital age a pertinent question: how are you stewarding your precious attention span? The story of Mary and Martha is a cameo of the question Isaiah asked God’s people, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” (Isa 55:2).

    At the Home of Martha and Mary

    Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary,who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

    41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

    It’s hot in the kitchen!

    “We must work like Martha with a posture like Mary.”

    I heard this expression in a sermon by Alistair Begg titled “A Biblical Approach to Anxiety,” and it struck a cord with me. To be honest, I’ve always had sympathy for Martha in the story. I wondered if Mary’s posture of sitting at Jesus’ feet could survive the heat of a kitchen at rush hour. I have prayed many times, “Jesus, teach me how to work like Martha– with a posture like Mary.”

    I have often heard this story squeezed into the aperture of a particular lens. Some say Jesus is advocating a life of contemplation not action. Others focus on the difference in temperament between Mary and Martha. However, this story comes after Jesus sent 72 disciples to go into the towns on foot “as lambs among wolves,” to heal the sick and preach the gospel (Luke 10:1-11). Presumably all kinds of personalities would have made up the 72 sent to ‘sow’ the gospel of the kingdom. It was hard, hot work. The Christian life is not passive, but active and fruitful. And active service is not just for extrovert evangelistic types. The story of Mary and Martha also follows Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, where he taught that loving God and our neighbour requires action, not just words, thoughts or good intentions. The man showed pity only when he got on his knees in the dirt, treated the man’s wounds, transported him and paid for the innkeeper to look after him. The Samaritan’s service involved costly sacrifice and effort (Luke 10:33-35). That is what Jesus asks of us, because it is what He did for us on the cross.

    So getting back to the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus himself knows that much of life is spent sweating in the kitchen. And He also knows how hot it gets in there.

    “Martha, Martha!”

    Jesus is kind and gracious in his response to Martha’s meltdown. We know from John’s gospel that Jesus loved both sisters and was comfortable in their home (John 11:5). Jesus’ rebuke of Martha is tender but straight: “You are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

    Martha enjoys hospitality, which is a good thing in God’s eyes. Christians are told to be hospitable and Martha takes this to heart. But her devotion to preparing a special meal for Jesus eclipses her devotion to Jesus himself. Listening to his voice is not a priority for her. Her attention is in the kitchen rather than on the words of the Saviour in the sitting room. The result is that her heart is fragmented and upset as she works. She is truly ticked off. I can imagine her sulking, sighing and mumbling under her breath!

    Making a meal of it

    In the text, there is no hint that the task is too much for her, but Martha has made too much of the task! She is fussing too much over less important things. She is complicating her life. Her service soon becomes a quest to live up to her own standards as the perfect hostess. Jesus has not asked for this, nor does he need it. But Martha turns her labours into a demanding duty, rather than a joy. Soon Martha is disgruntled with her sister, distracted by all the preparations and even irritated with Jesus for not paying attention to her raw deal.

    “Lord, don’t you care?” is the same accusation that the disciples voiced in the boat when Jesus slept on a cushion through a storm (Mark 4:38). Jesus’ reply to the disciples was similar: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

    Troubled by many things

    Like Martha, I have a tendency to be distracted, disgruntled and “troubled by many things.” When the kitchen gets too hot, I can easily strip off my apron and become like the Queen of Hearts, lopping off the heads of my family! I also bark orders to Jesus and everyone within earshot when I think I’m being taken for granted! Like Martha, I sometimes make too much of tasks and think I am indispensable to the world. Before I know it, my mind is fragmented and distracted. I cannot pay attention to the most important people as I feverishly labour to get a task done. Jesus gently reminds Martha, and us, to get our priorities straight (Luke 10:41-42). The kitchen of life is piping hot, and if you are anything like Martha…(or me), you need to practice the posture of Mary as you labour in the kitchen.

    The attentive posture of Mary

    In contrast, not much is said about Mary except that she sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to him. Jesus captured her attention fully. In middle-Eastern Jewish patriarchy, this would have been an outrage for a rabbi. Jesus doesn’t love Mary any more than Martha, but he welcomes her attentiveness and posture of humility and expectation. He sees Mary as one who knows her Shepherd’s voice and follows him (John 10:3-4). Her posture shows that she is teachable.

    But is it fair that Martha is left to slave in the kitchen like Cinderella? It is highly unlikely that Mary was a lazy woman who had not helped Martha with the preparations before Jesus arrived. It is also possible that this same Mary is praised by Paul for working hard for the Christians in Rome (Rom 16:6). Her work ethic is not in question here. The issue is her devotion to Jesus and attentiveness to what he says.

    Empty and expectant

    Mary of Bethany had previously anointed the Lord Jesus with expensive ointment and wiped his feet with her hair (John 12:1-8). It is a beautiful story that is worth reading again if we are to understand Mary. She was a woman who treasured Jesus more than tasks and activities. She was not driven or distracted. She knew that the “one thing necessary” was not the quantity of courses nor the perfection of a meal, but being where God had chosen to reveal himself.  At that moment, it was at the feet of His Son.

    Seek his face

    Mary of Bethany prioritized intimacy with God over a performance-driven life. She knew that she was empty and needed to be filled with the word of life before she could live a fruitful life. Like David a thousand years before, Mary lived to seek God’s face:

    One thing I ask from the Lord,
        this only do I seek:
    that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
        all the days of my life,
    to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
        and to seek him in his temple.
    5 For in the day of trouble
        he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
    he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
        and set me high upon a rock.

    8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
        Your face, Lord, I will seek.
    11 Teach me your way, Lord;
        lead me in a straight path.


    The people God employs

    This story of Mary and Martha transcends hospitality, culture and gender. Your “hot kitchen” may be at school or university, in a workplace or a war zone, on a farm or factory, in a hospital or church—wherever God has placed you to live and work as a Christian. Isaiah describes the people God employs: “These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word” (Isa 66:2). Isaiah is describing a person like Mary.

    In the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus challenges us to put first things first. He asks if we are paying close attention to the word of life– “a lamp shining in a dark place” (Heb 2:1; 2 Peter 1:19).  He calls us tenderly by name, as he called “Martha, Martha,” and asks:

    • Do you have a regular time to draw near and be attentive to my word? Or is your attention always on other things?
    • Are you distracted and troubled about many things?
    • Has your devotion to activity or technology left you with a dried-up, stressed-out attitude?
    • Do you come humbly to me each day, empty and expectant like Mary?
    • Do you pay attention to the gift of my life, teaching, death and resurrection?

    It is my experience that when we value God’s presence more than our performance, perfection or phones, we will find that we are not standing alone in the heat of the kitchen. We will look up to see our Lord labouring right beside us. Instead of stressing to get it all done in time, we will discover that it’s not up to us after all. Jesus is the head chef and we are merely the potato peelers! That is a relief indeed.

    “Lord, I long to serve you in a fruitful Christian life. I long to be part of your Kingdom work on this earth in all kinds of ways. But I do not want to serve you with a dry, distracted or disgruntled heart. Please confront the Martha in me today as I seek to pursue the “one thing needed” to live a fruitful Christian life. Help me to steward my attention span and save the best of it for you. Amen.”

    Useful quote and resources:

    • “It seems so right to provide for our own! It seems so proper to attend to the duties of our station! It is just here that our danger lies. Our families, our business, our daily callings, our household affairs, our interaction with society, all, all may become snares to our hearts, and may draw us away from God.” JC Ryle.

     

     

     

    [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]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[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions 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  • How can I keep inspired to serve? Part 2

    How can I keep inspired to serve? Part 2

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Lauren Maggs. If you missed part 1, click here

    A while ago, my husband and I attended the funeral of his great aunt. She was a wonderful, faithful Christian woman who had served the Lord with great perseverance.

    At her funeral sat many of the children she had taught in Sunday school through the years, up until the year that she passed away. This woman is a great inspiration to us. How we long to serve like she did! We long to serve the Lord with perseverance and faithfulness, not falling away because of exhaustion and hurt or discouragement.

    Previously, we looked at what truths we need to hide in our hearts to keep us inspired to serve. Now, we will look at the practical tools God has given his people to help us to keep on serving him for a lifetime.

    God’s Word

    Read God’s Word. Just read, and keep reading. Just one passage a day. God’s Word is a double-edged sword (Heb 4:12). God will do his work through his Word to accomplish change in us. Read with a friend, read in a group. Just keep reading his Word. Having access to God’s Word means that you have access to exactly what God wants you to know about Him. He know exactly what is going on in your heart all the time. Why not let the One who knows all thing speak directly to where you are?

    Prayer

    Prayer is all about connecting with God himself. Prayer is a great privilege. We can come with confidence before the throne of the King of all things because of Jesus. We can come knowing that he wants us to cast our burdens on to him. This is the source of the greatest peace there is. Even if it feels cold, rather pray than don’t pray. Use this little model, the teaspoon prayer to help.
    T – Thank you
    S – Sorry
    P – Please

    God’s people

    We were always saved to be part of a Christian family. The Christian journey was never one we were expected to walk alone. The greatest joy is found in walking with other Christians. We are meant to be witnesses to one another. As we gather together in church and in Bible studies, for prayer groups and for life events, we are pictures to one another of God’s faithfulness and grace. If you are struggling with discouragement, you can look to your brothers and sisters who have walked through seasons of discouragement before you, and see evidence that God has been faithful. This will remind you that God will be faithful to you.

    Never buy into the lie that you don’t need church. You need church like a nose needs the rest of the body! Which is why we keep on forgiving and being patient with our Christian family – they are part of us and our walk with the Lord. Enjoy the sweet fellowship of other Christians as a foretaste of what we are looking forward to in Heaven.

    The Lord has not left us without the tools we need to fight discouragement so that we can keep on serving. These are not unexpected tools. In fact, they are rather unglamorous in their familiarity. However, God knows that they are exactly what we need to keep on serving him for a lifetime. May it be said of each of us one day, “this wonderful, faithful Christian served God with perseverance.”

    [/fusion_text]

    [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”https://www.christchurchmidrand.co.za//wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mail-2.png” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]

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  • How can I keep inspired to serve? Part 1

    How can I keep inspired to serve? Part 1

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Lauren Maggs. Catch part 2 next week

    What discourages you most when it comes to your ministry or your service? Perhaps its feeling like your week was so busy and you just wanted one Sunday off? Perhaps it’s when those you are serving are disrespectful, unkind or selfish. Perhaps it’s when you feel like what you do isn’t even noticed or appreciated by the church.
    Perhaps it’s feeling really dry spiritually. Perhaps you are feeling really far from God and your service feels insincere.

    These are genuine discouragements and I’m sure there are many others. So, when these things, and others, strike, how will we keep inspired to serve? What will help us to keep on serving?

    There are few things we want to remember. We first want to arm ourselves with truth before we feel discouraged so that when it happens, we know where to turn. It’s like taking vitamins before you get sick.

    Things to remember:

    Serving is an expression of our own relationship with God

    Serving is always a response to what God has already done for us. We know that before we even loved him, God loved us and sent his Son to die for us.

    It’s only because God has made us his own that we serve. We don’t serve to earn his favour by serving. We don’t serve in order to be a “good Christian”

    Serving as a Christian is something totally different. Once God saves you, he changes you. By nature you are now more and more like him. You are a servant by nature and you express that by serving. Once he has made you his own, he makes you like him. And if Jesus is a servant, we are servants too.

    We have been equipped to serve

    We are told that the church has been given a variety of gifts amongst its people so that the church can be built up.

    11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
    Eph 4:11 – 13

    God didn’t just make us servants, he gave each of us specific gifts. Jesus himself gave you the gifts you use when you serve by teaching a Sunday school class or welcoming at the door.

    He’s given each of us a specific way to serve to build up the church. It’s an expression of the fact that are part of the body of Christ.

    Think of it like a sports team, you express that you are part of the team by using your strengths for the team, if you are the goal keeper, you stop the other team from scoring, if you are the striker, you run hard at the goal post and keep taking shots. By doing your part, you show you are part of the team.

    You express that you are part of the body of Christ by using your gifts.

    Do you see how using these gifts is an expression on the relationship you have God? You wouldn’t be serving, or have these specific gifts to serve with unless you had a relationship with God.

    So when you feel discouraged, remember that your service is an expression of your relationship with your Father. It’s not about ticking a box or making God bless you or anything. He already has.

    Serving is hard

    12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
    Ephesians 6:12

    Serving is hard because we have an enemy. One who does not want us to teach others about Jesus. One who does not want us to demonstrate godliness and patience and love week after week.

    Whenever you face something in your ministry that makes you want to stay away from church and not serve anymore – stop. Ask yourself who might be behind that.

    God’s Word urges us to not be aware of the schemes of the devil. Discouragement is a scheme of the devil and it can come in many different forms: it might be the behaviour of the children in your Sunday school class, it might be unkindness from a church member or leader.

    It’s important to remember that the devil is not the only thing we fight against.

    We also fight away the world, a world that hates Jesus. A world full of people who will tell you at work on Monday that you wasted your time teaching teens the day before. A world where your friends will tell you that you are brainwashing your children because you keep teaching them about Jesus. A world that scorns the decisions you make with your money.

    If those things were not enough, we are also fighting ourselves. We know that we have not yet been made perfect. We are waiting for that in Heaven. We still battle against our sinful nature – the nature we have been forgiven for. But that nature is not gone yet. This nature still lurking is the reason we respond to discouragement in a way we regret later. It’s the reason hard words spring so quickly to our lips when someone makes us angry. We look forward to being completely perfect with Jesus one day, but until then, we must remember that serving is hard because of the devil, the world and ourselves.

    Remember who you are really serving

    Your service is not just because of him, it’s for him. When serving gets tough, and you feel like those you are serving don’t appreciate it, you can rest in the fact that you are actually serving Jesus. Jesus teaches us this is parable, saying:

    40 “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
    Matthew 25:40

    Which means, teaching a preschool Sunday school class is for Jesus. Pouring tea is for Jesus. Moving chairs is for Jesus. Leading a Bible study is for Jesus. When discouragement rears its head, and you feel disheartened by those who are serving, remember that whatever you do is actually for the Lord Jesus.

    Hold these truths in your heart and meditate on them so that you can fight discouragement and keep on serving.

    This is what you need to have in your mind to keep you inspired to serve.

    [/fusion_text]

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  • Advice to my Younger Self

    Advice to my Younger Self

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Jerry Gule.

    When you are in your 50’s there are times you look back with amazement at some of the things you got up to in your teens and early 20s. You say to yourself, “What was I thinking? I should never have done that or I should have done more of this.” In those moments you realize that time has gone and you cannot undo those decisions and actions. Guilt and regret can settle in your heart.

    This is where unmerited grace needs to come in to help you accept that there is actually no use crying over the proverbial spilt milk.  Grace says you are forgiven and you have to forgive yourself since there is nothing you can do about the past. You can only do something about the future.

    Regrettably, those memories of past decisions cannot be deleted from your inbox, and from time to time they come racing across the screen causing you even more hurt and pain.  Sometimes you see the “evidence” or “scars” of your poor and ill-informed decisions and each time they remind you of how inane your thinking once was.  The truth of yesterday haunts you today. King David must stand as one of the greatest Biblical examples of someone who could not erase the reminders and consequences of his past.

    I do wish at times that there had been a special person who emerged to give me eyes to see the impact my decisions would have on my future and on generations to come.

    If I could give advice to my younger self, this is what I’d say:

    1. Life is a journey

    Do not rush to do everything before you have walked the whole way. Sometimes our youthful exuberance leads us to act on half-baked information and facts. This rashness can have long lasting effects.  So always lean on the side of gathering the facts or data to inform your decision making rather than rushing impulsively into action without considering the pros and cons. You have a long life ahead – God willing – so why rush it?

    2. Remember your actions and decisions have consequences

    The results of your actions can either be good or bad, positive or negative. It is a certainty that actions or decisions have consequences, which in many instances can be deep and long-lasting. So, with this in mind, it stands to reason that one has to always carefully weigh the options. By deciding on one way or another, you may open or close your opportunities for an interesting and successful career long-term.

    3. Prepare for each life stage

    Preparing to live with a purpose at each stage of life beyond infancy is important.  The stages include: infancy, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood and senior citizenship.  You prepare by listening to those who have gone before you. They may have been born before modern technology, but they know a lot more about life than you do. Of course, these older ‘counsellors’ or ‘mentors” should be people you trust and who have your best interests at heart. It is unwise to reject good advice off-hand just because you do not like it. One needs to take time to reflect and consider any feedback and advice one is being handed.

    4. Defer gratification or pleasure seeking

    Generally long-lasting things take time to achieve, so the “tyranny of urgency” i.e. a mentality that says “I want it and I want it now”, can lead to untold disasters. The trick is not to be driven by your desires. You cannot just get things your way all the time.  Learn to delay your gratification and control your impulses, giving you a necessary pause to think.

    5. You are not the final authority

    Sometimes youths “fight” with their parents or any authority figure, because they want to be in charge of their lives and to live their way without any controls. Remember you cannot live as if you will never account for the manner in which you conduct yourself. The reality is that you may be called to account many times during your lifetime. There is always someone in charge either directly or indirectly. Ultimately, God, the Creator and Judge of the universe, is in charge and will require some accounting when the curtains of this world are drawn. Live today with that final Day in mind.

    [/fusion_text]

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  • Faith and no work

    Faith and no work

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Roydon Frost.

    Recently our brothers and sisters from a church in New York held a “faith and work” event for us here in Midrand. It was packed out, and by all accounts a very fruitful time. However, the question that kept knawing at me as I listened to our friends share their wisdom; the question I should have asked the panel but didn’t, was “what about faith and no work?” For many South African Christians who would pack out an even bigger venue, a “faith and work” event – in fact the whole “faith and work” question – is a luxury.

    For so many of our people, the question is not “how can I fulfil God’s calling in my work?”; but “how can I find work?” full stop. The question is not “how can I integrate faith and work?”; the question is “how can I live out my faith with integrity when there is no work?” Our American family can answer so many questions for us, but perhaps this is one we need to answer for ourselves. They graciously lead us in so many areas, but perhaps this is an area where we are uniquely placed and urgently challenged to take the lead ourselves. What follows is a plea for us to start taking steps in that direction.

    No work is not normal, but that’s normal

    I am part of a men’s group that meets weekly. Just under half the men in that group are unemployed. It’s a small picture of the bigger South African story. As a group we have been walking a road with these men, some of whom have been unemployed for more than a year now. Recently, one of them raised a protest that came from a place of deep exasperation: “But God made us to work!”

    Of course, he’s right. That’s why unemployment mixes into such a bitter cocktail of impotence, frustration and outrage. It’s crippling. It’s debilitating. It’s not as things should be. And yet it is as they are. Unemployment is one brush stroke in dark pattern. Children should not go hungry. Husbands should not beat their wives. Cancer wards should not be full. Reminding ourselves of this wider canvas can be a source of hope: the strange hope of solidarity in suffering. The strange hope of knowing I haven’t been singled out for special maltreatment. The strange hope of knowing that I do not suffer alone. Empathy can lift me out of the darkness of isolated pain. And this strange hope has its greatest fulfillment when we remember the God who has suffered with us, and for us.

    Walking together

    If what I have just said is true, we cannot allow our unemployed brothers and sisters to walk this road alone. We must not allow them to wade into the tide of hopelessness that is unemployment without an anchor. We are that anchor – we who are on the shore. We the rest of the Redeemed Family. We who perhaps do not understand unemployment, but do understand suffering. We are in a position to help: we are not ourselves paralysed and blinded by the immediacy of the pain; but we are also not so far removed as to be no help at all. We can offer the solidarity of financial, emotional and spiritual support. We can offer the gospel that not even this can separate you from the love of God in Christ – the good news that your suffering is not in vain.

    Redeeming the time, redeeming the pain

    Our God is the Great Redeemer. He turns a crown of thorns into the crown of glory. He turns the cross of humiliation into the instrument of exaltation. Through death he brings life. He can even take the barren wilderness of unemployment and work it into the fertile soil of Christian growth. After many months of anguish and toil, one of the men in our group got a job. We rejoiced. But even our celebrations of the gift of work were surpassed by our rejoicing over the more precious, longer-lasting gifts that God has given. Our friend shared that through this awful experience God has given him the gift of contentment without money, trust no matter how bad the circumstances, and the altogether surprising gift a stronger marriage. His testimony is just one more reminder that our God will never leave us nor forsake us and that our suffering is never in vain. It is also just one more reminder that we as South African Christians are perhaps best placed to speak into the topic of faith and no work. We need to start having those conversations.

     

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    Join us for a discussion on unemployment

    [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”https://www.christchurchmidrand.co.za//wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Faith-and-No-Work.jpg” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”http://www.christchurchmidrand.co.za/event/faith-no-work/” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”0px” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”https://www.christchurchmidrand.co.za//wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mail-2.png” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]

    Receive our latest blog in your Inbox

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  • How Self-Esteem Impacts Your Work

    How Self-Esteem Impacts Your Work

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Gareth Maggs.

    I’ve been fascinated with identity since 2010 where I started reading as much as I could on the topic. My reason for doing this was because everywhere I went I could not escape the message of ‘be happy with yourself’ and I wanted to know what God thought about this.
    It seemed to me the world had its own gospel which it proclaimed through music, video, written content and even through my own upbringing, “You need to make yourself into the person you will be happy with”. You need to build your own identity.

    I was told that I can be who I want to be, so in my mind I created the ideal person and I chased after girls, dressed differently, worked hard and did what I could to achieve that person. I was building my own identity or to put it another way, I was trusting my broken, sinful self to be in control of my own life.

    In 2010 I discovered some fundamental truths when I read Genesis 1:27. I discovered that God was in the business of creating identities, not me, and that he had made me in his image, not my own. In other words, I was trusting myself to be the builder of my own identity, when God is actually the builder, and he is building me into the image he has in his head. His identity.

    His goal is for him to be happy with me and not for me to be happy with me.

    My goal changed from building a self-esteem to letting God build a god-esteem

    This changes everything for the good… especially work

    When I was building my self-esteem, I was constantly vulnerable. I’d set goals I needed to achieve and when I didn’t achieve them I hated who I was. Even if I did achieve them, I’d find it hard to stay happy under criticism and any praise I got would result in a short high which I’d have to come down from. My self-esteem was very much affected by the world around which I couldn’t control.

    Yet I still tried to handle it. In meetings I would question how I came across to my fellow colleagues. I’d re-read emails to make sure my reputation was not at risk. If the boss found a fault in what I was doing, I’d craft ingenious responses in which I wasn’t really telling a lie, but nor was I telling the truth… I know now, it was a lie. I’d try handle things by being what the company wanted me to be and not what they needed me to be.

    When I realised God was the image builder and not me, it was like a huge burden had been taken off my shoulders. I didn’t have to keep doing the building. I took my focus off myself and began to concentrate on the jobs I was doing. I was able to take criticism and change the way I worked, because my job did not define me anymore, God did. I had found a way to take risks and tell the truth if I’d made a mistake, or stand up against work injustice, knowing that I could take on the thoughts of others wisely without damaging the identity I was made in.

    Security in God’s image building

    How does God build people into his image? If he’s doing the building, why are we not all perfect? In Genesis 1 the first humans, Adam and Eve were created in God’s image, in Genesis 3 however, humanity decided to go against God’s design and live for themselves. You could say they chose to trust the image building to themselves and not to God. God, in his grace, had given Adam and Eve the gift of choice, the gift to follow him or not and they chose to follow themselves. So God gave humanity over to their choice.

    However, God in his grace did not leave them without another opportunity to turn back to him. He came to earth and as Jesus, he took on humanity (Philippians 2). He had the perfect God-esteem, he evaluated himself and said, ‘That’s the image I want humanity to be in’. In his death at the cross, he took our broken image upon himself to destroy it and gave us his own perfect image. Now, whoever trusts in him can live with knowing that God’s evaluation of them is a perfect God-Esteem.

    When I first realised I was made in God’s image, there was a period where I did not realise God was the image builder. So I started to try think how I could build myself back into the image of Genesis 1. This was not a bad place to start, except I would often come home feeling like a failed Christian. Sometimes it was because I didn’t feel I’d evangelised enough, or I was unethical, or sometimes I could not put my finger on it, yet when I looked back on my day, I felt God was hardly in the picture.

    Knowing God had graciously given me his identity meant I knew I couldn’t lose it. That gave me the confidence to work hard at living each day for him, and on the days where I lost the battle, I didn’t feel despair for God was happy with who I was.

    Working as the company desires

    Some might say, “If we don’t need to prove ourselves, then we don’t need to work as hard and if God is already happy with us, then we don’t have to worry about the views of our colleagues.” I found the opposite to be true. Knowing that I was secure in God’s image was a joy that made me not want to live for myself. I could have decided to be lazy and do my own thing, but then I’d be trying to build my own image again and I know that doesn’t work. Instead, I found joy in living for the image God had already made me in, knowing that if I failed, despair would not be knocking on my door.

    Practically I started a one-hour meeting with the “real CEO” of our company. If his opinion of how I was doing things was what really mattered, then I felt he deserved a daily meeting. During this hour I’d discuss my plan for the day. I’d spend time reading his word to let that mould me into the best person I can be in the company. I’d pray about every aspect of my job, and the company I worked for, calling on God to help us best Glorify him. I’d even present him stats, I’d talk about our products and if anyone had a problem with me, I’d not let that get to me, but bring it before the Lord, asking how best I should deal with that person.

    Since 2010 I’ve walked along this road, and I don’t think I’ve got it completely right. In fact, I think I’ll only experience a perfect God-esteem in heaven. However, knowing that God is the image builder and that he, through his son, has given us a chance to receive his perfect image, provides an unquantifiable freedom.

    Click here to see our sermons on God-esteem.

    [/fusion_text]

    [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”https://www.christchurchmidrand.co.za//wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mail-2.png” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]

    Receive our latest blog in your Inbox

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  • How HIS Greatness Impacts Everything

    How HIS Greatness Impacts Everything

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Gareth Maggs.

    Isaiah 6 is a biblical text I often dwell on. Each time I think about it, I find a new reason to be blown away by the Lord. Why? This text gives us a glimpse into Isaiah’s vision where he stands before the Lord almighty. If you got a glimpse of the greatness of the Lord, wouldn’t you play it over and over in your head?

    The scene must have been overwhelming! The Lord is so great that he sits above everything else (vs 2), has beautiful creatures constantly flying around him singing his praises (Vs 2 and Revelation 4:8), has a robe that fills the temple (vs 1), is covered with smoke to prevent lesser beings from gazing upon him (vs 4) and speaks with a voice that shakes the foundations (vs 4).

    This scene is awesome and it has a profound impact on Isaiah. I want to explore this impact, because I believe if we truly understand this passage, it will change every moment of our lives. Here’s how

    It helps us treat God like the sun, and not like the sun

    It looks like I’ve made a typo above. I haven’t. We often treat God like we treat the sun. We know the earth revolves around the sun, but we speak as if it revolves around us. We call our first viewing of the sun ‘Sun rise’ and we call the last viewing of the sun ‘Sun down’. We do the same to God, we live life as if he revolves around us. We try build our own lives, our own careers, our own families and our own self-esteem. We only call upon God when we need help in achieving our own ambitions, as if his purpose is to revolve around us. To worship us.

    In Isaiah 6, the first lesson Isaiah learns is perspective. He sees the grandeur of the Lord and understands that the Lord does not revolve around us. He begins to treat God like we should treat the sun. He says ‘“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (ESV vs 5). Seeing God, He exchanges his own take on the world for God’s and immediately sees our biggest problem is not our daily struggles, our relationship issues, it’s not our career, nor our self-esteem, nor the poor or war; while these are important, our biggest problem is our ‘unclean lips’. Our sin.

    Do you wake up with your take on the world as more important than God’s? Do you see sin as greater than your own problems? If not, then you will never see why the cross is the greatest reason we praise the Lord. You’ll be angry at God for not worshipping you by building your dream life, when he has already solved the root of your problems by being nailed to a tree. You need to get perspective. God needs to become greater, and we need to become lesser

    No more fear of anything but the Lord

    Last week when walking from the gym (Sorry couch, your work on my stomach had to end), I passed some pre-school boys about to get into a fight. It was one against three, yet the one showed no fear. With great pride he proclaimed to the others, ‘My dad is bigger than your dad’. Luckily a teacher came before he got beaten.

    Why did he not fear? What was it about his dad that gave him confidence? After much thought, I realised that out of all the weapons he had against these bullies, dad was the most powerful. How did he know that? From his perspective dad is big, He fears him more than the bullies. In Isaiah 6 Isaiah not only sees just how great the Lord is (6vs 1 – 5), but experiences it through the Lord solving his greatest problem, his sinful nature (6vs 6 – 7). Isaiah’s response is staggering. The Lord calls Isaiah by saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? (vs 8)” and before the Lord even explains the task, Isaiah says “Here I am send me”.

    Isaiah responds like this as he knows that whatever task the Lord has for him, he can do it without fear. Isaiah fears God more than anything. He has the most powerful weapon. If you have a small view of God, then you’ll accomplish little for him. He’s not a God to be feared and therefore won’t be big enough to take on your fears, leaving you to only rely on yourself. If you have a big view of God, then you can take on the world in confidence, knowing that whatever area of life he has called you to live in, you can deal with it. Your God is greater.

    Not even doubt can separate us from him

    This point probably fits best under point 2, but I decided to keep it separate as I think one of our biggest fears is doubt. It could be doubt in the Lord, doubt in our salvation, doubt in the ability of the Lord to lead our leaders, doubt that the world is getting better, etc. Doubt is a daily fear.

    This week an event I heard about made me think. A teacher told her class that she was doubting the Lord. Immediately I thought, ‘No, you shouldn’t share that with children, what if they start doubting the Lord too?’. During that week, one of the children went home and created a promise box, filling it with verses showing how God is always faithful to his people, even when they doubted him. The next week, she gave this box to her teacher to help her in her doubt.

    That teacher was not wrong in telling her class her doubts, because God is greater than our doubts. That little girl taught me that when I doubt, I need to look at all the promises he fulfilled in his word, because no matter the obstacle, no matter the unfaithfulness of the human race, God proved his greatness by always being true to his promises.

    Last thoughts

    I wrote this article to move us from seeing the greatness of God as something that merely wows us, to something that changes the way we do life. Seeing the Glory of the Lord made Isaiah shift his perspective and caused him to live for the Lord without fear. Our response should be the same, our only fear should be the Lord. When tempted to join unethical practices in the work place we can shout, ‘My God is greater’. When we fear the future of our country we can shout, ‘My God is greater’. When we fear the future of our children, we can shout ‘My God is Greater’. When we are afraid of the grave, we can shout, ‘My God is greater’. When we don’t think we can make it through school or university, when we worry about school fees or whether we’ll get through the month, let us proclaim at the top of our lungs, ‘My God is greater’.

    He may not solve things the way want, but he has promised that he looks after his people. If our God is so great and he’s on our side, then let me ask this, “Who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

    [/fusion_text]

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