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Matthew 6:1-4 says, “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
When we do something kind, we want to boast and tell other people about our good deeds.If we do, our reward is our good reputation. But Jesus that if we do our good deeds in secret, God will reward us. I think a reward from God is far better than human recognition. Challenge: Do as many anonymous random acts of kindness as you can this week.
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 I designed the template on Canva including the Bible verse and dots (you can download it below). I punched through the dots with a yarn needle then sewed multicoloured yarn through the holes. You could also use embroidery thread if you preferred. I put it in a frame without the glass and voila. It would make a great gift or decor item for your room. 
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve, but we serve the same Lord. And there are different ways that God works in people, but it is the same God who works in all of us to do everything.
At the Olympic Games, each country sends a team, but not everyone competes in the same sport, or even the same event. There is track, field, swimming, equestrian, skateboarding, cycling, basketball and so many more. In the Christian faith there are different spiritual gifts such as teaching, prophecy, encouragement, serving, giving, wisdom, leadership, mercy, wisdom, knowledge, faith, miracles, healing, discernment, and speaking in other languages. The gold medals for each of the Olympic sports are the same, just like all of the spiritual gifts are equally important. Do you know what your Spiritual gifts are? Perhaps you can do a Spiritual gifts quiz. At the Olympic Games, behind every athlete is a team of people supporting them - coaches, doctors, physiotherapists, sports psychologists, friends and family. It's hard to succeed at that level without people supporting and encouraging you. It's hard to succeed at any level without people supporting and encouraging you. As human’s we’re designed to do life together - that’s what the church is for. In Hebrews 10:24-25, Paul tells us, We should think about each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good works. We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. It's important to meet together with other Christians at church, youth group, and/or bible study so that you can encourage each other in your faith and you can grow in spiritual maturity.
Ephesians 6:23-24 says, May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give to all Christians peace and love with faith. May God's grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying love. Paul finishes the book of Ephesians the same way he started it, speaking of grace and peace. Ephesians 1:2 says, May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
If Christianity was a cake, peace, love, faith and grace would be some of the key ingredients. Grace is the blessing brought to mankind through Jesus. Peace is the ability to be calm in the middle of the storm knowing that God is with you and promises to work out everything for our good in the end. We have peace because of God's grace. We love because of God's grace. We have faith because of God's grace. Everything revolves around God's grace; his gift to us - the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul prays that God's grace will be with those who love Jesus with an undying love. Do you love Jesus like you love ice cream, or your friends, or Netflix? Because of God's grace, we should love Jesus with an undying love, with every ounce of our being - body, soul, spirit and mind. May God's grace flavour everything that you think, do and say this week. Ephesians 6:19-20 says, And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Paul was in prison for his faith when he wrote the book of Ephesians. He asked the believers to pray that he would have boldness and the words to say when he preached the Good News. They didn't have the New Testament, they were in the middle of living it and writing it. Paul knew that his words were important. He probably didn't know that we'd be reading them two thousand years later. We should pray for pastors, preachers, evangelists and missionaries - that they would have the words to say to share the Good News about Jesus effectively. We should pray that God will give us the right words to share the Good News too. We are all called to share the love of Jesus with those around us - so we're all evangelists. Ephesians 6:18 says, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Paul says "And pray" to indicate that as well as putting on the armour of God, we should pray.
I don't know much about warfare, but I know that it's important to follow the commands of your leader. Prayer is how we communicate with our commander (God) and one of the ways he communicates with us. We should pray on all occasions - in the daytime and the night, when we're happy and when we're sad, when we are young and when we're old, when we're struggling and when we're thriving. We should pray with all kinds of prayers - private, communal, silent, out loud, prayers of thanks and prayers of request, prayers of praise and of crying out to God. We are also told to pray for God's people - they are our fellow soldiers in this spiritual battle. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't pray for non-Christians as well, but we should especially pray for other Christians because we are all in the same spiritual war. |
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