Faith is spelled R.I.S.K…

... and I have blogged a little bit about risk before. I have also written quite a bit on the subject of faith before.

Being a follower of Jesus takes faith - even to the extent of looking a fool. Jesus never promised His followers that everything would be “rosy”.

In fact, quite the opposite. He said:

Mark 8:34-38 (The Message)
Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendour of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”

We are called to live an "alternative" lifestyle. A life of sacrifice, a life of denying oneself and living the way Christ teaches us to. And that can be scary. And can makes you feel extremely vulnerable.

But it's the right way. The way to go...

By Love Compelled

The title at the top of this entry comes from a piece of Salvation Army music by Ray Steadman-Allen. I feel it's quite an appropriate title!

The last few weeks I've been reading up on sacrificial giving, as today (in most Corps) is the Army's Self-Denial Annual Appeal Altar Service. I've been looking up examples from scripture on which to base further study, looking at individual motivation.

First on my list is Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10), a short man with a burden at least twice the size of him! His job was to collect taxes, a particularly unpopular job even then, and to top it all he wasn't too honest about it. Listening to Jesus' teaching had prompted a change of heart, and Zaccheus resolved to give back much more than the law dictated. He gave sacrificially...

There was Mary, the sister of Martha (John 12:1-6), who gave the gift of precious perfume to anoint Jesus. This was a gift she had really saved up for, the equivalent of the cost of a year's wages. Certainly sacrificial!

And there's Barnabus (Acts 4:36-37), a disciple who happened to own a field. There were a great deal of folk around at the time who were in need, so in response to that he sold his land, placing the money sacrificially at the disciples' feet in order to meet the need. Being a Levite, Barnabas had the right to be supported by others (Numbers 18:21). Instead, he made a conscious decision to give, to help others.

Let's also consider the members of the Macedonian churches (2 Corinthians 8:1-6). They gave sacrificially to help fellow Christians in Jerusalem. They gave joyfully, even beyond their ability to give, and even begged to do so! Phenomenal!

What motivated these guys to give so freely? To give so much more? In the case of Zaccheus, it could be argued that there was an element of guilt involved. A need to make amends, to recompense for his misdeeds. Well, I understand that Jewish law already make restitution an essential anyway - however Zaccheus' response goes far beyond legal requirements...

And what about Barnabus? The Christians in Macedonia? We know nothing of their individual backgrounds. Surely there must be looking for something other than just guilt.

Whatever motivated them to such extremes of sacrifice must be something pretty powerful. Could it be the awesome power of the love of God within them? The power of the Holy Spirit, transforming them, compelling them. Encouraging them. Sacrificial giving is their response to such unconditional, sacrificial, agape love.

What is your response? What is that still, small voice telling you?

"Go without, for those going without" - taken from the Self-Denial Appeal envelope, 2011

Play To Your Strengths

I've been encouraged over the last few years to push myself out of my comfort zone, to try and do something new in my life. Some of my recent escapades have been documented in this blog. Now, learning what you can do anew is a great idea (you find out new things you are good at!), however there comes the inevitable time when you need to stop and take stock of your life. Whilst I have been looking at the whole subject of sacrificial giving, I have looked at my own giving, reviewing the use of my time and talents as well as my finances. About what I do for Him, give to Him.... And how to do better.

As part of this I've been giving consideration to my own strengths. Stuff that I feel really comfortable doing. I think that I've been getting so practiced at ignoring the boundaries of my comfort zone that I've begun to forget what it is that I am good at! Instead of pushing these particular boundaries all the time, reaching out into those areas where I know I am weak, I'd like for a while to explore 'playing to my strengths'. On working on my own particular gifts, on ways to use them more wisely. Let's face it, what would have happened if the great musicians of our time hadn't decided to devote their lives to their obvious gifting. Each of them took time to practice, to develop their natural strengths. In this case, the gift of music.

I'm not particularly gifted in music, but I do the best I can. We can't all be good at everything, however each of us has a natural aptitude in something. Christians talk of spiritual gifts, acknowledging the fact that these gifts ultimately come from God. Some of us don't even recognise what our strengths are. I've taken a number of spiritual gift questionnaires - you can find some online if you look - so I think I have a pretty good idea.

Most web articles I have read this week on this topic suggest that you should 'play to your strengths' - that is, to spend the majority of your time working at something where you have an aptitude. If others are better at the things where you are weak, why not let them do it?

I realise that it is unlikely I will ever be anything other than average in areas where I don't have a specific gift. What I need to do is to ensure I do plenty of what I'm really good at - use the gifts God has given me to the best of my ability. I know that if I invest my time and energy in something I know I am good at, and enjoy doing, then I'm working in the right direction.

Romans 12:4-8 (New International Version, ©2010)
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Generosity

Acts 20:35 (New International Version, ©2010)

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Repetition is such a necessity for effective training. You need to be told something a number of times before it eventually takes hold and sinks in. I can't remember the number of times that I have heard the above quotation. I have endeavoured to practice this, to live out the concept in what I do and say. However, it's only over this weekend that I began to grasp some of the reasoning behind this concept.

I think part of the problem is 21st Century culture. If I am injured, society teaches us that I need to seek compensation (I did a separate post on 'Blame Culture', a while ago. See the link here). If I do something for someone, society says that I expect to get adequately compensated for the task. "You don't get something for nothing!"

Now, I look at this a little differently. I've worked in a whole host of voluntary roles for pretty much all of my life. Social clubs, Fan clubs, Advisory Councils, Committees, Scout Groups, and of course Church. If something catches my eye as being worthwhile and exciting, I'll be there, showing an interest. It's not what it earns me that motivates me. I have found this attitude causes confusion - people simply can't grasp why I could do something for nothing. It doesn't make sense to them.

At the weekend the meeting touched on the subject of sacrificial giving, as part of the launch of the Army's Self-Denial Appeal for this year. The subject matter has really challenged me to rethink my whole reasoning for giving. Not to encourage me to give - I do that anyway - but to examine why I give. Giving of your time and talents freely, and sacrificially. Giving, because there are folk out there who have so much less than you. Giving, because without your gift, they would more than likely continue to go without. Giving, and not expecting to be paid back. Giving until the pips squeak...

We have a practical example here in the incident described in Mark 12:41-43, the donation of the "Widow's Mite". In this example, Jesus told his disciples the widow had given so more than all the others. The rich folk donated only a small proportion of their wealth; the widow put in two small coins, however this was all she had.

"If not you, then who?
If not now, then when?"   - Hillel the Elder

I guess that this is a topic I'll come back to again this month. I'll leave you with this quotation:

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”  

  - John Wesley