Last night we had a youth service for a number of young people from churches around BидиH(pronounced Vidin), including some from this ministry and some from the gypsy church we visited on Tuesday.
We spent the time getting to know each other and played a game of ‘Never have I ever…’ where you each old up your hands and go round in a circle saying “never have I ever…” and then adding something like “been skydiving”, “worn women’s shoes” or “killed a goat” (as some came out with). If the thing said applies to you you put a finger down and the ‘winner’ is the last person who hasn’t had to put down all of their fingers (although I guess that means they have done the least things…).
I had the privilege of being the speaker for the group last night and shared a message that has the title of this blog. Let me share with you from my notes for the talk:
I’m told that this is the poorest town in Bulgaria, and that Bulgaria is the poorest country in the EU, but tonight I have some great news for all of you – you are, or can be, some of the richest people on the planet! …
There is a difference between being rich and having wealth. You can be in the wealthiest place of the world but still be poor. You can be in the poorest place in the world (/the EU) and still be rich. … There is a richness that is greater than money. …
Peter and John were approached by a… beggar… They told him they didn’t have any money but what they had they would give him and in Jesus name they healed him then and there. They didn’t have money but they had the life of Jesus in them and that life was powerful. That cripple considered himself richer because of his encounter with Jesus than he ever would have considered himself rich no matter how much money he might have been given. …
[T]he world will tell you that to be happy in life, to be successful at “doing life” means that you have to have a lot of stuff. … THIS IS NOT TRUE. You don’t need those things. In fact, at the end of life you can’t take any of that with you. At the end of life, none of the stuff you have means anything. …
Jesus is the path to true riches…
Jesus told us that he came so we could have life abundantly – life to the full (John 10:10). …
[I]f you have the God of the universe living inside of you – can you really be poor? Aren’t you truly the richest? …
God has a bigger plan and a bigger purpose for your life than the world does. …
And how do we know that this is a rich life? Well look at the fruit of it – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-Control. Becoming wealthy is not what God has in mind for us as the goal of a “good life”. Instead, the good life is being and becoming people who love and are loved, who are joyful and who cause joy, who are patient, peaceful, kind, good, faithful, gentle and in control of themselves. Who doesn’t want that? …
Now, I can’t necessarily tell you what God wants you to DO exactly with your life in the sense of job, etc. … What we do comes out of who God is making us… He is growing in us a love for others, a peace with whatever is happening, a joy in any situation (even when we have to work in 40 degree temperatures with no water), kindness to people around us and so on. Money can sound like it would help but we know that we would rather be growing in these and not have money, than have money and only be focussed on ourselves. …
So remember, the life that is full, that is the ‘good life’, is from having the Spirit of God living in you and having the life of Christ living through you.
Let me close this blog post with the prayer that we ended the talk on:
Father God,
I realise that I’ve been distracted by things that the world tells me I want. But really I want the life that you have planned for me. I confess that I have done things wrong in my life and that I have been valuing the wrong things, and I come and say that I am sorry for that. Lord, I know that your plans are greater than any plans I can come up with, and I want to follow you wherever you lead me. I recognise that who I become is more important than what I do or what I have and I want to make sure that I live my life focussed on who I am becoming. I want to become more of a worshipper of you and I want to become more like Jesus as you change me by the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you that you are bringing your Kingdom into this place. Thank you that you made it possible for me to have fullness of life by taking my place and dying on the cross for my sins. I give my life to you and ask that you use me for your glory.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
