It turned out to be a full weekend, not just full of activity, but spiritually filling as well. The mutual blessing of Christian fellowship is quite refreshing, and I start this week filled with new vigor and fresh perspective. Part of the weekend my wife and I hosted two servants of God. I was reminded once again what blessing can be experienced in hospitality. Then our care group met for lunch after worship and that put the frosting on the cake. Ok, I need to explain.
There is so much going on in the world that can get us down. The confusing socio-political milieu, the moral revolution, and the pandemic with its impact on so many people physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally, can overwhelm our thoughts. I often find myself having to drag my thoughts out of the rut of preoccupation with such matters. As persons made in God’s image, we can think about what we are thinking. One thing we must think about is what is feeding and informing our thoughts. The apostle Paul gives us good criteria for what ought to be informing our attitudes – that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, excellent, praise-worthy, and of good report (Phil. 4:8). That is not just positive speak. In reality, things can be pretty ugly, broken, and evil, and we cannot afford to deny or ignore it. But do I fix my focus on the evil or can I think about something better that can counter or even remedy that evil? Enter the blessing of this past weekend.
The two servants of God we hosted sat at our dinner table for hours sharing the work that God is doing among the lives of many who are directly impacted by the brokenness of this fallen creation. We do not just sit back and watch God do stuff; God works often through human agency – that is ministry. I distinctly remember the realization that hearing this report refreshed my perspective by replacing the preoccupation with the ugly confusion of our times while turning my attention to the things that God’s people are doing to build bridges with bold compassion, so that they then plant seeds of God’s love and grace in the lives of the hurting, broken and oppressed. Then to see the fruit of that ministry, where people discover the love and grace of God so that their lives are transformed – that is a drink of cold water in a dry land! On top of that, our care group met after worship to discuss over lunch our approach to doing some of the same things – building bridges with bold compassion to plant seeds of God’s truth, love, and grace. The energy and ideas flowed freely, and the bond of ministry grew stronger.
What refreshed me this weekend were not things that I had intentionally set out to do with my thoughts. But I was keenly reminded that what I can and ought to do is to be selective about where I place my focus and be choosy about what forms my attitudes. We who know God can start each day by asking, “What is God doing?”, followed by, “What can I do in that?” This, I believe, is central to the biblical exhortation - Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life (Prov. 4:23)
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