Christmas Dinners
Last December your donations to the Mission to Children supported Christmas dinners in 7 countries and in over 13 different locations. One of our partners in the Philippines used Child Evangelism Fellowship’s Christmas story about a former street boy to share the Gospel. Then he interviewed those who came, to get their reactions.
Llona (slum girl): “At first I did not want to attend because I am not used to talking with other people. I felt I am a nobody because I am from a very poor family. But when I saw other kids like me and heard the story of Bentong through the puppets I began to realize that Jesus cares for poor kids like me and the other children at this party.”
Vincent (street boy): “I am very happy and I felt refreshed by this party. I learned a lot from Bentong’s story and it was only my second time to eat fried chicken. It was delicious! The gift was also nice! I am thanking Jesus because He saved me from my sin!”
Camille (girl in temporary shelter): “The food was delicious! It was my first time to eat this kind of food and I will never forget it. I cried when I heard the life story of Bentong because I thought I was the only one with that kind of experience with my hard-up broken family. I learned a lot from the story and I am eager to learn more about Jesus.”
Liza (mom from a slum): “I am very happy because my son and I were able to attend. Most of the time I feel guilty because I cannot provide good food and nice things for him. Sometimes I cannot give him his daily necessities. Now we both realize that the most important thing is to have Jesus in our heart. I am encouraged that after this I will attend Bible studies in our municipal hall.”
Our Manila partner has a program in place to do follow-up through local churches. Your donations to Christmas dinners are an investment in eternity.
Self-Discipline Corner
Self-Discipline: “Focusing on worthy goals instead of distractions.”
Why care about Self-Discipline?
Self-Discipline increases achievement and effectiveness in your personal life. It builds good interpersonal habits such as stability and orderliness. It reduces stress of unclear expectations. Self-Discipline also strengthens your spiritual disciplines (Bible study and prayer).
How do we demonstrate Self-Discipline?
A person demonstrates Self-Discipline by patience, punctuality, orderliness, thriftiness, and resourcefulness.
An opposite word is Carelessness:
“But I tell you that men [and women] will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” (Matthew 12:36)
Self-Discipline quotes:
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
“Spiritual growth most likely takes place in a context of routine and discipline.” (Gordon T. Smith)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
“If we don’t discipline ourselves, the world will do it for us.” (William Feather)
“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” (1 Peter 4:7)
Making it personal:
Do you show patience in challenging circumstances such as: A driver cuts in front of you on the freeway when you’re running late or you have to explain multiple times to a teenager why he or she can’t borrow the car?
Do you have regular times of Bible reading and prayer or do you need to strengthen that discipline?
Self-Discipline and The SEEcret
One danger-warning conviction God has given me during my journey through life, from the stories of others who came before me, and in the study of scripture, is this:
I’m not afraid of failure; I’m afraid of succeeding at “things that matter less.”
Others, such as the amazing missionary William Carey, are credited with discovering that same truth. The wording attributed to him is slightly different (“. . . succeeding at things that don’t matter”) but the conviction expressed is the same.
Can subtle distractions lead an entire church down a path of lesser things?
The apostle Paul shared that same perspective and conviction. In Philippians 3:7-8, he writes about his journey of discovery:
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord . . .”
In our international training, we describe Self-Discipline in our behavior as “Focusing on worthy goals instead of distractions.” Today’s world system and values create a legion of distractions from God’s system and values. Paul makes our godly response to this situation clear in Romans 12:2:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
It is challenging enough for us to ignore distractions that are clearly ungodly. But an even more sidetracking risk for sincere Christians is the distraction of succeeding at good “things that matter less.” For example, a Christian may expertly teach the book of Ephesians—a good thing. But he may not live the truths of that letter—a far better thing. He is focusing on a good thing that matters less.
Can subtle distractions lead an entire church down a path of lesser things? Yes indeed. It is disturbingly easy for a congregation and its leaders to gradually make driving priorities out of its “ABCs”: attendance, budget, and cash on hand. More things that matter less.
I feel this concern for Christians and congregations so deeply that I wrote a book called The Leader’s SEEcret: Asking the right questions and embracing God’s answers. It is a parable about a pastor whose board helps him discover he is leading his congregation to succeed at lesser things. That’s the bad news. The good news is what he does about it.
The Leader’s SEEcret was released this September and is available through Amazon.com.
This book is for you to read and use. It’s also for current and emerging ministry leaders. Each chapter ends with questions for private journaling or small group discussion. May it be a fruitful tool in God’s hands.
For His glory, let’s focus on what matters most.
