CCOG Newsletter

At this point, it is likely that everyone has gone back to school. Some started early - in the height and heat of summer, while others were able to enjoy that last bit of carefree time. Now that things are in full swing, weariness will quickly set in. That desire to just make it to the next weekend or holiday plagues kids and faculty alike. When you look back on your school career, do you ever wish you had done some things differently? Maybe you would have tried a little harder in a class or two, been nicer to certain people, or simply relished the joys of having few responsibilities.

Consider your life now. Are you rushing through, just counting the hours until Friday afternoon. If you are honest, do you just "phone in" the effort at work or home, sometimes? Are there people you keep meaning to spend time with, but just don't make the attempt?

As we move from a missions focus to a focus on rest, ask God to help you integrate the two. Can you make it part of your mission to slow down and take time for your family, friends, and even strangers? Psalm 90:12 says this, "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." It is wise to consider how we spend our days. Are we honoring God and blessing others?

I was drilling a hole in my wall the other day to hang some new shelves and soon realized that I didn’t have a small enough drill bit to fit the screw I would be using. Instead of driving to Bunnings to get the right tool for the job, I shrugged and tried to make do with a larger drill bit. It didn’t go well. I’ll spare you the details but needless to say, I now have a huge gaping hole in my laundry wall with nothing hanging on it. It serves as a daily reminder for me: know what needs to be done and then do it properly. So what are Christians supposed to be doing? In today’s reading, the Apostle Peter (one of Jesus’ best mates who spent a lot of time with him) lays out the epic purpose of a Christian and their church. This is the ultimate task for which we have been chosen and brought together with others.

Read: 1 Peter 2:9-12

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Reflect

Take a moment to consider the first verse (2:9). You are God’s trophy. You are his “special possession” that he has gone out of his way to choose and personally make holy and blameless. Like a car enthusiast who polishes his new Porsche daily, or a fashionista who has just found the ‘perfect’ dress, God loves to sit and gaze upon you in admiration and pride and go “Yesssss!”.

But you are not just a trophy to be left on the shelf; protected while you wait for heaven. Peter says your entire life’s mission is now to be a declarer: part of a team who “declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”. You are called to be a signpost to those around you that says, “God is actually real and astonishingly amazing because he is changing my life.”

Like an incredible piano player who doesn’t bother to play, if you don’t do the very thing you are purposed to do then you will eventually experience frustration and apathy in your Christian journey.

So does this mean that you now need to loudly ‘declare’ to everyone you meet today about how great God is? Well… Yes, it is important to tell people (we’ll get to that soon), but have a look at the advice Peter gives in 2:11-12. One of the primary ways in which we can fulfill our mission of declaring God’s greatness is to make him great in our own lives, greater than any of the other desires that are waging war for first place in our hearts. You are now a foreigner in your own country because you serve a different king, have a different passion, and are on a different mission. Living in God’s presence makes you different and this will eventually stand out.

Pray

Father, thank you that you have chosen me. I still sometimes find it hard to believe that I am so special to you when I feel so ordinary and broken. Help me to see that my life’s ultimate purpose is not to be happy, or successful, or even to have a great family. Give me a passion for the purpose you have called me to - to be a signpost in this world that points people to you. I so much want people to see you, Jesus, in me.