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31st August 2008 2008

A sacrifice too far...?

One of my grandmothers (sister to my paternal grandfather) used to appreciate our (mine and my sisters) visits to her so much that at times I felt she would go overboard with her treatment of us. One day when I was about eleven years of age, we visited her around lunch time. She had ready cooked, a delicious favourite of mine called samp (i.e. maize kennels mixed with black-eyed beans). On this particular day she ran out of tin-plates for all of us as some of her nieces were visiting too. She opened her cupboard and at the back, brought out a beautiful floral design plate which looked pretty expensive and antiquated. After dishing in it she put it in front of me on the floor where I was sitting and cautioned me to treat it carefully.

As we ate and were jolly, laughing around; I accidentally moved my foot to go above the plate but hadn't raised it high enough. It brushed against the plate and sent it skidding on the polished cement floor whereupon it connected with the steel door post and crumbled into pieces. The silence that followed was enough to express the gravity of my carelessness. Needless to say, I felt so ashamed and was almost in tears when she rushed to me and soothed me for the evident fear etched on my face. In my heart I felt how sad she must be for trusting me with her prized possession and seeing it trashed in that way. Her comforting response to the whole saga was, 'at least it's my favourite man that used it for the first time and broke it'.

Being the only boy amongst that many girls, I certainly felt bolstered by her response and kind of felt important. The sacrifice for her though (considering our poverty), was quite great. It was the only porcelain plate she had in the house. Years later when I was working, I bought a 24piece dinner service for her and reminded her of how bad I still felt for breaking her special plate. Grandma looked up with joy in her heart and told me that whilst she may have felt at the time that it was a sacrifice too great for her; nonetheless she was pleased by how I turned out as a young man and I should forget the incident.

When we love someone, we do not count the cost to ourselves for serving them and being there for them. This is just the way that Christ wants us to treat one another in this world... not counting the cost of being available for a person at great inconvenience to ourselves

SHALOM -

Jongi

Disciples are not concerned about self-preservation but about fulfilling the will of God at all costs.

Settling down
How do you respond to a challenge that requires all of your senses? Explore/share of your past reactions to this.

Worship
Praise Jesus for giving His all, to bring salvation for all of humanity. Thank Him for loving us despite our weaknesses.

God's Word: Jeremiah 15: 15 - 21 & Matthew 16: 21 - 28

• The young prophet Jeremiah struggles with the ridicule he receives from friends and acquaintances in the exercise of his calling. Human nature takes over and he asks God to deal with his detractors (Jer. 15: 15-18). The Lord shows Jeremiah though that His purposes are bigger than the individual. In fact, the individual is called to model God's ways, not give in to the worlds' attitudes (c.f. vs. 19b). How can you start to change your attitude as you serve Christ so that others are positively influenced by your actions and you cease to just worry about yourself?
• Self-preservation can deprive "seekers" of a view to God's will because we who are well placed to depict it for them, are sometimes absorbed in our own ways or needs (c.f. Jeremiah's request in verse 15 & Peter's reactionary approach to preserving Christ's physical presence around him in verse 22 of Matt.16). What are you prepared to give up for the sake of God's Kingdom? How much castigation can you take/endure so that Christ is known and God's will is lived out by those around you?
• The test of true discipleship often comes when we have to make choices that can change the course of our lives. See what your answers are to the following questions:
  1. Do you think yourself complacent and easy to conform (e.g. simply become PC=politically correct) when faced with making hard choices for your Christian faith and her values?
  2. Does fighting for your existence in life mean that sometimes you don't mind compromising your faith conviction?

Living God's Word in the world; our Witness:
Covenant to live everyday in God's ways and not by man's wiles!

Concluding Prayer
Father God, I wonder how I've managed to exist without the full benefit of understanding Your will. Please help me Lord to follow You more nearly and to be accepting of the cost of being Your servant ... Amen! .

Email Jongi to discuss these notes at revjzihle@btinternet.com