Thought for Wednesday, 14 September

 Philippians 2:1-2 (new international version)

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

 

Philippians 2 connects the blessings of Christianity with the corresponding results in a Christian's life.  Paul tells us we will experience comfort, encouragement, love, and unity as saved believers in Christ.  Correspondingly, we ought to express comfort, encouragement, love, and unity to our fellow believers and those who we try to bring to the faith.

 

For many of us who attend church today, our introduction to Christian teaching began when we were young.  When I attended Holytown Primary School, the school day often began with the singing of a Psalm or one of the old traditional hymns.  Attendance at Sunday School began when we were no more than toddlers.  We received further instruction at the youth organisations connected to the church.  At secondary school, there were assemblies where hymns were sung, there was Scripture Union after school hours.  As we got older, we could progress through Senior Sunday School, Bible Class and Youth Fellowship.  Although many left the process along the way, at least the opportunity was there if you cared to stick with it as is the case with many of the office bearers and members of the church today.

 

Society is so different these days with many people of influence asking us to be ‘all things to all men’.  In my time with presbytery, I learned that there are schools that will not even allow a minister to come into their building.  The opportunities to learn about the bible are just not as readily available as they once used to be and there are so many other distractions that just weren’t there when we were children.

 

As our reading assures us today, being a Christian will be a joyous experience. We know there will be challenges along the way, God knows our late Queen had more than a few to deal with.  As with her, we should not let life’s disappointments and difficult times deflect us from our Christian journey.  We also need to pray fervently for those folks that have never had the same opportunities to learn about the bible as we had and to lay these concerns before the Lord in our prayers.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for all that we have received through your son. Thank you for your love, your grace, your forgiveness and your gift of the Holy Spirit.  We thank you that we have accepted Christ Jesus as our saviour and are sure of life eternal by our faith in Him.  We pray that together, we may live in spiritual unity, loving one another and trying each day to live the life you have given us in ways that will be pleasing in your sight.  To his praise and glory.          Amen