Hi Church,

Well another family service was concluded over the weekend. Graeme Corin did a great job sharing the Kids Talk with the young ones and although he loomed high above them whilst they sat still upon the carpet, his gentle nature won them over.  His message of what it means to have good conversations with people no matter what their age, so that you get to know people truly and not to be distracted by games and devices was well received and Zac was a great helper. Suzie Wood shared an encouring word on communion and how great God’s love is for us and how we need to share it with those around us, through our forgiveness of when wrong is done and the most excellent way of 1 Cor 13.

I continued my Families talk from Ecc 3:1-11 and I did not proceed past the first point for the day. The big truth we focussed on was “Hold on to what matters”. This was taken from Verse 7 which says there is time to gain or search and a time to loose or give up.  A Time to Keep and a time to throw away.

The sad thing about our consumer culture is that it constantly encourages us to gain and gain no matter what the cost. This has been the message of all advertising from the 1950’s onward. Creating within us a drive to be dissatisfied with what we have, compare ourselves to our neighbour and then strive to gain what we think we need. This has resulted in a throw away society, a greed-based society, envy society which is amplified by social media and has had disastrous effects on the environment and the mental health of many. Creating a world of have and have nots and those who are trying to fake it till they make it.

Just this week an alert has gone out from the ACCC, Australian Consumer watchdog, to watch out for fake Websites for the upcoming sales season, because the products that are being offered at the “too good to be true prices” are guess what?  Not true! The products and websites are proving fake and its already cost customers $500,000 in rip offs just in the month of September.

Its so easy to go along with the flow of society and get caught up in the glitz and the glamour to have the best of things. To have what we think we need as opposed to what we really need. Jim Elliot who sowed his life as a missionary martyr in the 20th Century to the Amazon Indians, said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose”.

Our life is for the giving not the getting. This world we live in is passing away and we are but travellers, pilgrims as Peter says 1 Peter 2:11, through to the next world for all eternity, so let’s travel light. Our Gain is what is coming with those whom we are bringing with us. Jesus reminded us that our treasure is in heaven where no rust or moth will destroy Matt 6: 19-21. So let our hearts be focused on that and how to bring others into that truth.  Paul also reminded us in 1 Tim 6:6-7 

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it…”

Character and Contentment is the greatest wealth, which is effectively what this verse says. So Let that be the mark of true believers.

So what do you have to lose to gain more of Jesus in your world? What more can you giveaway to hold more of who He is? That’s our challenge in this temporary world, that is becoming so dim, as we gaze more into His glorious face. 

Love Greg and Amanda