Be a Giver: Invest Your Life

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.”  ~Philippians 2:3-8

It is easy to take and consume.  It is a part of our flesh— we need, want, and sometimes are led astray by the clutches of greed.  Paul warns the brothers in Galatians 5:13-15 that sin can devour them through the greed around them.

We are called to receive God and accept His salvation through Jesus Christ but so many Christians forget that there is more to God’s calling.  He wants us to share His truth and Gospel message with others through our words and actions.  God wants us to give and invest in the relationships we are engaged in, without the expectation of receiving anything in return. 

Jesus is the perfect example of the humble giver as he gave his life and withstood separation from God that he may provide sinful, unworthy people with salvation.  Jesus did so much for us, more then we can ever repay.  We are not burdened or expected to repay this great gift but asked to ‘love others,’ serving them as better then ourselves.  For we are but servants of God.

A Mothering Community

Growing up I was a part of a community of women that make up parts of who I am today; my mother, aunts, cousins, step relatives, and different community members.  Most of the women were not Christian, yet they loved me, protected me, and shared in various responsibilities like discipline (not punishment), teaching me skills or techniques, or took me for a few days. I have seen many Christian communities with far less fellowship. Currently, I am blessed by a group of women I can rely on, in my immediate surroundings all the way to my home country.  But I know with growing individualism in families, it has brought a division between being an active or a passive member of the church community.  To be clear I am not talking about roles like punishment and teaching, but being a role model, loving, being helpful in ways that relieve the mother when she needs two hands (holding a child, or playing with a child), redirecting the child from potentially dangerous or harmful situations.  Sadly, there is this attitude in some women today of each mother for herself, almost an “I don’t need help or to give help to others to survive” approach.  How have we allowed this to become acceptable and ingrained in how we interact within the church and at church activities?  I am not saying that people should help to the point of neglecting their children.  Jesus told us, not just the parents, to take care of the ‘little ones’ (Matthew 18:5-6).  This is one of the reasons why we have baby dedications.  Baby dedications remind us about our call to fulfill this “active” role in the upbringing of all the children in the church family.  We must not forget we are the body (Romans 12: 4-5) called to work together, each with their own function but helping one another in those functions.  We need to remember that we are not Christians by birth but by the blood of Jesus.  We’ve been adopted into God’s family, bought at a price.  We are His family called to share and grow together.  The early church knew God’s will for His family and obeyed (Acts 2:42-47).  Let’s come together and be that church, family, community again.

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] live together in unity.”  ~Psalm 133:1

God's Heart

There was no way to prepare me for a world 

 outside of my own—I had to trust in the Lord and have faith that he would give me grace.  After a day and half of air travel we made it to Nagaland.  It is a breath taking place and culturally more different then I had expected.  Some people lived in houses, others in 5 story apartment buildings, and even some in huts made from bamboo and tree leaves.  As I sat in the car soaking it all in, I realized that it all was not as different as it seemed.  These huts I saw are no different from North American trailer parks.  Garbage was scattered along the streets but I saw just as much garbage along the streets in New Jersey.  On the car ride, I am sure I looked like a kid at a theme park for the first time, but by the second day my awe had turned into familiarity and love.  Needless to say, Nagaland now has a place in my heart, and I am sure it will be there for the rest of my life.  I learned a lot about the territory and its history, some of it by just observing and the rest by listening.  

The first thing that greeted us as we got off the plane in Dimapur was two armed soldiers. On the drive to the schools, we went through various army check points and of course two cars full of foreigners attracted their attention.  It was revealed to us that there is a political tension over the land: India and Nagaland both claim it as their own.  About a year ago a cease fire was signed and foreigners were allowed to travel within Nagaland without a restricted –area permit.  

Upon meeting the students, teachers, and school heads, I got to see some small things that point back to their tribal roots, but also, see how much they are like us.  They dress no different than a south Korean or North American, and they speak at the least 3 languages. Their population is 19 000 000 and farmers are the main driving force of the economy.  The country does not export their agriculture mainly due to lack organization, but also do to small crops and unaccommodating roads. 

The people I had the privilege of meeting are just as beautiful as the land, they were very hospitable and welcoming.  They took care of our basic needs with warm caring hearts and just loved us more then I could have imagined. Nominalism is wide spread there, but I could not see it in these students or teachers.  From what they said, the churches are rigid toward certain types of growth or changes.  This response to changes I am sure can hinder growth and possibly foster this spirit of Nominalism. The students were so hungry for God.  They were very interested in small groups and one-on-one discipleship but they didn’t know how to start them, and felt the pastors would be unwelcoming of such programs.  I did hear some stories where they were doing something like a small group through outreach in small villages.  So that is a step in the right direction.  If God puts these people on your heart please pray for improvement in education especially within the church, that the people would grow in the knowledge of God and share a deep relationship with him, and that the students would bring Godly changes and growth into the lives of those God brings them to.  

On the way home while digesting the trip God placed before me a verse that sums up my trip nicely.  “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” (Philemon 1:6).  And through my sharing I was able to learn about and observe the heart of God.  I saw and experienced how God provides for his people, from monetary needs to accommodations, and so much more.  The schools drove us to where we needed to be, they gave us a bed, a room, and food.  And I could see how He provided teachers, students, facilities, etc. for the schools.  

It was such an honor to have that opportunity to teach seminary students, and how all I had as credentials was Jesus Christ.   I learned to trust Him with planning my workshop lessons and give me peace to teach in front of the classes.  He gave me the courage to tell my testimony and even converse with the female students.  He gave me, my husband, and my child grace as I was away from them during training and during the mission trip.  God gave me and my family the strength, energy, and focus while I was there to do His will.  Before leaving, I would reflect on the fact that I was leaving my family and I would feel so sad, but then God would give me Luke 14:26-27.  It was like God was asking me who was more important in my heart.  After the mission trip, I returned to a sermon on exactly that topic, and interestingly enough the pastor used going on a mission trip as an example.  The sermon hit home and confirmed for me one of the important lessons God taught me through this experience. 

Health

The New Year hopefully brings for you a year of change and growth.  Some people like to get the changes started with New Year’s resolutions.  Now everyone knows the top resolution pertains to health in some form.  Health has been a popular topic for my pastor these past few months.  And I am glad it has because, it has made me realize how we have confused health with fads, diets and forgotten resolutions.  But so many of us just think health has to do with the body, and what we do to it.  As Christians health has a completely different meaning for us, and most of us don’t realize that.  Merriam-Webster defines health- (as) the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit.  I would change the “or” between mind and spirit to “and.”  I believe that just one of these does not make a person healthy that health needs to be in all three aspects to be truly healthy.  From the perspective of a Christian, one must first be healthy in spirit and the rest will follow through Christ (John 15:5).  If you abide in Christ he will abide in you through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is our teacher and intercessor through which we mature and grow.  Through the Spirit we find unity with one another as a body, as the church (Romans 6:13, I Corinthians 6:19, 12:18).  And in a healthy walk with God we find a healthy mind as seen in these Proverbs (Proverbs 3:8, 27:7) where the word health is related to wisdom and righteousness. How do we know that we are healthy Christians? That should be easy for all of us—through our fruit (Mathew 7:15-20).  We know the unhealthy and the healthy through the fruitlessness or fruitfulness that is visible in everyone’s life.  Only in Christ we are saved, only in Christ we are healed, and only in Christ we are ‘healthy.’

Aunt Deanna

Jesus spent his time on Earth serving the needs of God’s people.  (Mark 10:45).  As Christians we are called to the same in love through Jesus Christ. (Galatians 5:13).  We can serve through various ways—teaching, sharing, being a role model or a mentor, discipline, love, friendship, etc.  We all have people that serve us at different stages and in different ways throughout our lives. 

In my life, I have had a handful of people who made a difference in my life through their service.  Besides the obvious people (my parents) one particular person stands out –my aunt D.  She gave me so much of her time, her energy, her affection, and her attention.  I will always carry with me the things she influenced and taught me in my life.  She wasn’t afraid to discipline or correct me when I was wrong.  (Proverbs 3:11-12).  I not only thank her and respect her for that, but also learned from her now to interact with other people’s children.  She was patient with me in my struggle as a child to overcome my learning difficulties.  One specific thing she taught me was how to space out my words, practice it with me, and why it was important.  She never let me get away with being a jerk or having friends who were bad influences.  I spent summers visiting her and even helped out at her office being a gofer. 

I believe God blesses our lives through people like my aunt D who was a mentor, a friend, and a mother to me. 

“³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; ⁷ rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature^[of a servant, being made in human likeness.” 
~Philippians 2:3-7