Thought for the Week - 8th January 2023

Dear Friends, 

January is always the month in which I remember my baptism which took place over forty years ago and on which I was given the Bible text ‘Follow in his steps’ which comes from this verse, ‘To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps’ (1 Peter 2:21). We may suffer for many reasons – as a result of our own sinful behaviour, because we act in a foolish rather than wise way when making decisions, or as a result of living in a fallen world. The apostle Peter is writing about suffering that comes as a result of doing good, and at the root of the word ‘good’ in New Testament Greek lies the idea of doing something that benefits others rather than ourselves, doing something that is the right thing to do, doing something that is inherently good and inspired and powered by God. It reminds me of the Great Commandment, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… and… Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matthew 22:37-38). But sometimes when we do something good for another, we can be disappointed because we don’t receive the response we expect, perhaps when someone or something lets us down or when a good deed is rejected. What should we do then? Well if we are truly following in the steps of Jesus then we will keep on doing good regardless of the response, perhaps with this saying in mind, ‘Do everything with a good heart and expect nothing in return, and you will never be disappointed’, and also with the famous words of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who says, ‘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.’

Grace and peace,

Neil

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