Lighthouses Don't Compete

                  How many followers do you have on Twitter? How many retweets did your last post get? How many followers do you have on Pinterest? What about Instagram? How many likes did your last picture get? How many people subscribe to your blog?

We live in a world-an online world anyway-that judges by numbers and if we aren’t careful, sometimes that number mentality carries over into our church mentality. For example, rather than considering ourselves working as one we begin competing with one another. We compare ourselves to other local congregations. Then we start looking for ways to “top” them. And what about within our own local congregation? Do we find ourselves comparing our circumstances, material possessions and even our talents to our fellow brethren instead of rejoicing as well as hurting with them?

Too often I catch myself with a case of the-grass-is-greener-on-the-other-sideitis. This is a dangerous place to be and it can lead to equally treacherous ground when the tables seem to turn and we find ourselves in the pridelands (forgive The Lion King reference). You know, that point when you begin patting yourself on the back because of the talent or wit you shared and others felt it worthy of sharing as well (be it online, word-of-mouth, or otherwise). If you have any doubt that this attitude is the complete opposite of what Christ intended take a look at Ephesians 4. Verse 1 through 6 says,

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all

KJV

We are one in Christ. Christ commanded us to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. When we compete and compare, the Lord’s church dies. So how can we overcome those feelings of comparison and competition?

1.     Pray. Pray. And than pray some more. Pray for the strength to overcome those feelings.

2.     Count your blessings. It may sound cliché but remember that comparison is the thief of joy and in line with the-grass-is-always-greener syndrome, someone is probably wishing for the very blessings you enjoy.

3.     Encourage those who are doing good works. Looking for the good others are doing can encourage us to follow their example and place our focus where it should be-away from ourselves…which leads us to the last point…

4.     Focus on the good you can do for others Imitate the good example brothers and sisters set for you. Look to the example of Jesus and remember the words in Matthew 16:24,  “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” and on things above. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” (Col. 3:1)

Jesus told us we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, but how can we be the salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16) when we are busy comparing and competing with one another? I heard it best described this way…

“Lighthouses don’t compete.”

Motivational Monday-The Power of One

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Have you ever heard someone make the statement, “I’m only one person, there just isn’t much I can do?” Have you ever thought this yourself? Have you ever heard a sister in Christ get discouraged and say, “It really doesn’t matter what I do, no one notices or cares anyway”? It is easy for us to feel this way from time to time. After all discouragement is one of Satan’s most powerful tools but…

         What if Esther had this attitude? Esther risked her life to save her people. Can you imagine how different things might have turned out if she had told Mordecai that there was nothing she could do to help save her people?

         The midwives in Exodus 1:15 decided to obey God rather than man when Pharaoh told them to kill the Hebrew baby boys. What if, instead, they had chosen to carry out this order? Perhaps Moses would not have been around to lead the Israelites out of bondage. Moses may never have even known his true heritage if his sister, Miriam had not been watching over him and offered to find Pharaoh’s daughter a nurse to take care of the child.

         What if Joshua and Caleb had agreed with the other ten spies by saying, they could not take the Promised Land? Samuel might never have been born, much less have been a prophet of the Lord, were it not for Hannah’s prayer. The lineage of Jesus would not be what it is had Ruth chosen not to follow Naomi, because she would not have met Boaz. Timothy might not have the strong faith he did were it not for his grandmother, Lois and mother, Eunice.

         The point I am trying to stress here is that you never know how your actions will affect others. The only thing you know for sure is that you WILL have an impact on the lives of others positively or negatively. It’s known as the ripple effect. When you toss a stone into a pond, ripples form around the place the stone entered the water. The ripples start out small but they grow as they move outward. This illustration is described well in an article written by Bro. Nichols…

     During the War Between the States, a young woman learned the truth and obeyed the gospel. Her sweetheart, J.H. Halbrook, was a confederate soldier. He was captured by the union army and kept a prisoner in Michigan until the war was over. After the war, he returned to Centerville and married his sweetheart. His wife studied the Bible with him, and he soon became a Christian. He thought the truth was so good and so simple that he began to teach and baptize many of his friends and neighbors. He began to preach, but he recognized his need for more training, so he went to the original Mars Hill Bible School, taught by T.B. Larimore. Upon completing his studies there, instead of going back to Tennessee, they moved farther south, coming into Walker, Marion, Fayette, and Lamar counties in Alabama. One of J.H. Halbrook’s many converts was Charley Alexander Wheeler. Along with his wife, C.A. Wheeler obeyed the gospel and soon began preaching to others. He started more than 100 congregations and baptized more than 6,000 people. One of those 6,000 was my father, the late Gus Nichols. And twelve thousand were baptized under his preaching. Among those baptized by Gus Nichols, no one knows, nor can know, how many began to preach "the glorious gospel of Christ" (2Cor. 4:3,4); but I personally know several. I, Flavil Nichols, am ONE whom he baptized and whom he encouraged to preach the truth. And under my preaching, about 3,000 have been baptized. A few among them preach the gospel also! Only eternity can reveal the total results of the conversion of that one young lady nearly 150 years ago. The results are not yet all in! But this shows that TWENTY-ONE THOUSAND people have become Christians through this single thread in the fabric of her influence.

-Flavil Nichols Huntsville, AL
-From The Winfield Newsletter, Vol. 21, No. 14

         As this story proves, while you may only be one person, your actions and influence can have far reaching effects. As women we are many things. We are wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, teachers, neighbors, and friends. We are bosses, employees, coworkers, and citizens. All of us fall into a least one of these categories and there are many more that I did not name. The many roles we fill allow us to interact with people from many different walks of life. Our influence and power could easily be as far reaching as the young woman from the story who obeyed the gospel and simply shared it with her husband.

         The virtuous woman we read about in Proverbs 31 was aware of the power she possessed. She was very busy caring for her family, the poor and those in need. Dorcas (Acts 9:36ff) likewise was concerned about the well-being of others. What wonderful legacies these ladies left behind and what great examples for us to follow!

         As I said in the beginning, it is easy for us to get discouraged. Being a Christian is not easy. God never promised that it would be and Satan certainly doesn’t try to make it easy for us, however, we must not let him get the best of us.

         Bob Marley, a Jamaican singer-songwriter, believed racism and hate could be cured by injecting music and love into people’s lives. While I do not support or agree with his beliefs, he once made a statement that impressed me. When he was scheduled to perform at a peace rally, a gunman came to his house and shot him. Two days later he walked out on that stage and sang. When asked why he wasn’t resting after his injury, he said, “The people, who were trying to make this world worse are not taking a day off. How can I?” That quote can be applied to our lives as Christians. Satan doesn’t take days off and he is working especially hard on us. He already has the world where he wants it. He wants us to join it instead of make a difference in it. Satan knows the power of one.

While teaching Bible class, my great uncle has stated numerous times, “There is one thing that every Christian can do, that is encourage one another.” I believe he stresses this point because he realizes how easy it is for us to become discouraged and encouragement is our greatest defense against it. Hebrews 3:13 tells us to encourage each other every day.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see you good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" Matt. 5:16 Jesus gave us these instructions because he wants us to realize the power we have as individuals as well as collectively. The world is dark and it our job to let the light shine through. We must light up the darkness.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”

Philippians 4:13