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Tag: sharing

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At this time of year, many people, like me, find it hard to stay active. If you're not particularly fond of the winter weather, you might prefer to stay indoors. Others, who love winter sports, enjoy getting out in the snow to ski, snowshoe or make snow angels. Personally, I'm a little bit afraid of falling. Since I was hurt in a car accident, my balance isn't as good as it used to be, and because I live near one of the great lakes, we often have blustery and icy conditions. I find it much more difficult to get motivated to go out for a walk on days like that than I do in the summertime. But physical exercise is only one of the ways that we need to stay active.

Last week, we looked at Hebrews 4:12, and I told you that the Bible is "living and active" because it is the representation of the power of God. God still works through the words that He spoke to Bible authors centuries ago, but He also works through us. He has given us the opportunity to share his love and grace by living it for others and by sharing Him and His Word. That is what Roma Downey and Mark Burnett are doing through their dramatic production of The Bible, a series that will be shown on the History Channel for five Sundays starting on March 3, 2013. As I mentioned last week, you can find out more about The Bible Series at the official website, their Facebook page or on Twitter. But I also thought you might like to see a preview, so I have included an extended trailer for you below. After that is part of an interview that Roma and Mark did on 100 Huntley Street. (You can see any interview done on that show at 100huntley.com.)

Here is one way you can stay active: share the news about The Bible television series with friends who might feel hesitant or uncomfortable about reading the Bible, and ask them to watch it instead.

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Yesterday, at about 4:00 p.m. a tornado ripped through the town of Goderich, Ontario. It was the most severe tornado to hit the province since 1996. Goderich, situated on the shores of Lake Huron, is known as the prettiest town in Canada. (This designation stems from a comment made by Queen Victoria on the basis of a relative’s description.) The tornado touched down, and devastated, the historic town square. ‘The Square’, which is in fact an octagon, is notable because it was actually built with a plan; it didn’t just happen by chance as many towns did. Most of the buildings in the square still date from the 1800s, except that now many of them are missing walls and roofs.

I am sharing this news with you to make two points.
1. Life, and all the material possessions you hold dear, can change in an instant. The tornado in Goderich was over in a matter of seconds.
2. There is always someone in need that you can be good to.
In I Timothy 6:18, Paul instructs Timothy to tell the people, those who are rich in this world’s goods, (I Timothy 6:17) to do good and to be rich in good deeds. Be generous and share with others.

Thankfully when natural disasters occur, people are usually very generous with donations of money, food and clothing, sometimes overwhelmingly so. It seems odd to hear agencies such as the Red Cross tell donors to stop giving, that they have enough, but it has happened. What is less common is for people to keep giving when the big news story leaves the headlines. Goderich’s historic town square, like all the other places that have been hit by tornadoes, earthquakes or tsunamis, will not quickly be rebuilt. And there are a lot of people in your own community who need someone to be good to them too. A single mom who needs help with child care. Those who have been hurt or who have had surgery who need help with household chores or yard work. The student who needs help with his math homework. The elderly person who could use a ride to the grocery store. The man who has lost his job but still needs to feed his family.

John Wesley said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

Look around you. What good can you do?

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Did your mother ever tell you that you had to share? Most mothers do. I find it interesting that children are forced to share when it is not a habit that is practised by most adults. While discussing this with a friend the other day, the parable of the ten virgins came to mind. (Matthew 25:1-13). Five of the ten came prepared for the long wait with extra oil for their lamps, and five didn’t. The ones who were unprepared asked the others to share their oil. If that were to happen today, would the prepared virgins be criticized for not sharing? Would they be called mean, just because they prepared for themselves but not enough to also take care of others? After all, we know from other passages in the Bible that God likes us to care for the needy (James 1:27, Matthew 25:40) and He loves a cheerful giver. (II Corinthians 9:7)

To be honest, sharing was not really the point of the parable, but it is interesting that the five virgins who wouldn’t share were not condemned for it. They were commended for being prepared, while the ones who had not brought enough oil to get them through the night were called foolish and were banned from the wedding feast.

Preparation is the point of the parable. Since it is a parable, the focus is to be spiritually prepared for eternity. The oil is representative of the Holy Spirit. There are many who call themselves Christians, perhaps because their parents did or because that’s the kind of church they go to, but only those who have truly accepted Christ as Saviour will be invited to the eternal wedding feast. This is your own decision--something you have to do on your own. No one on earth can share eternal life with you, but you can accept it as a free gift from God.