The Storeroom

From Paul a servant of Christ Jesus, and Richard his brother.

So, as I wrote, my hope was that in the homes of the Church in Ephesus the relationships between slaves and masters would be transformed.

Also, I left Timothy in Ephesus and wrote this to him: “We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers – and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me.”

Emphasis is mine. Well, actually, the whole thing is mine.

Anyway, I wanted to do what William Wilberforce did before he did it. Slavery was too much of a part of society to see it change overnight but I thought that if we (William and I) could bring the horrible trade which caused it to shame it might make people think. It might make them think about the cruelty of forcibly or deceptively removing someone from their home. It might make them about the conditions in which they are kept.

There is a trial in London as I write of people who enslaved a seven-year-old who never smiled. How might you respond to slavery as creatively today?

I was shocked a few years ago to learn something of the value of talents in the well known parable. It was worth about 20 years wages. In London, where incomes of £50,000+ are not unusual that is equivalent to £1,000,000. And that was the servant who was given the least.

This brings home how much God invests in us and entrusts us with. The potential of your time, education, contacts, experiences and strength is huge. Notice what the effective servants did: “The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.” (Matthew 25:16).

There is a right time to start using all that God has given you in order to change the world. It is now. James Carvillee said,” The best time to plant an oak tree was 25 years ago. The second best time is today. ” Whatever it is that God has given you to do - do it now.

Notice what stopped the third servant from doing anything. “So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent” (Matthew 25:16). It was fear. And maybe in some ways it was justified but what about the fear when the master came back and the talent was in the ground? Don’t let fear stop you.

I like what the master said about interest. It wouldn’t have gained so much (especially in our economy) but I think he is saying, “Do something rather than nothing. Make a phone call, enrol on a course, get some advice, but do something rather than nothing.”

Finally, I love the ‘Well done…” given to the effective slaves. It is possible to please God. He’s not waiting for you to do the wrong thing. He loves you.

In Britain it’s just been Pancake Day. I grew up not knowing about it’s religious significance. It’s when we use up all the tasty sweet things on pancakes so that we may give them up as we for Lent as we prepare for Easter.

This morning I read a great article by a church leader on all the benefits of delaying gratification. It was all true but didn’t relate the practice in any way to the cross of Christ who the leader usually preaches very effectively.

This year at Hillside Church we are meditating on the book If by Amy Carmichael. As I reflected on it this morning it struck me that ‘Calvary love’ is the lens through which any worthwhile practice becomes meaningful and possible. Whether it be the value of delayed gratification, forgiving others or viewing people with the hope that Jesus views us. It was for this ‘joy’ that Jesus endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).

Whether you are giving anything up or not, take time to look at Hillside’s tweets or blog posts on the implications of Calvary love and how it impacted the amazing Amy Carmichael.

You can follow the Hillside’s Twitter account here - http://twitter.com/HillsideSW19/