Equipping People for Life — Morning Devotions

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Transcript

My wife and I are members of our local church. We’ve been attending there since we retired. We enjoy very much a friendly gathering of people of all ages who come together for worship and genuine fellowship. And I often walk past the back door and notice the plaque on the wall when the building was dedicated to the glory of God.

And what strikes me each time is the short sentence that says we are here to equip people for life. It’s the kind of statement that made me stop and think. What is it about this place that equips people for life? Of course it’s not only churches who make this claim. A school motto, for example, can be the same or a programme designed to help young people reach their potential or any organisation for that matter.

But it made me wonder, is there anything that can fully prepare and help us for life?

After all, life is complex with the good and not so good happening every day. Can we be truly equipped to handle anything that comes our way? Who can help us? Can the church? Throughout history, the church stood as the heartbeat of many communities, a place where people came to find purpose, belonging, and a connection to something greater than themselves.

Families used to attend Sunday morning services each week. They took an active part, many of them in weekday activities as well, and many firm friendships were formed.

It was a welcoming community where you could be yourself, be authentic, and find spiritual nourishment for your soul. Authenticity is a prized commodity in our modern age. People seek communities where they will find support, love, honesty, and acceptance. It used to be said that the church was a place where real life, including the struggles, failures, and forgiveness, is visible and tangible.

It was the Anglican bishop D. T. Niles (Daniel Thambyrajah Niles) from Sri Lanka, who pointed out that the church is the only society which exists for the benefit of its non-members. The mission of the church is to go beyond its four walls and bring non-church people in. Why would you bother? Because the message that we have is unlike anything else. It’s eternal that comes from God.

It reminded me of a young man who had just graduated from one of the nation’s leading law schools in the US.

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Very thrilled at the prospect of beginning his career after many years of hard work and study. And he was sharing some of his excitement and enthusiasm with a next-door neighbour, a longtime friend of the family. I’ve finally made it, he said. I’ve got a job with a leading law firm in the east, and I begin working the first day of July. And by the way, I’ll be one of the highest paid members of my class. The old neighbour said, Well, I’m happy for you.

I know you always worked hard at school. I’m sure you will work equally hard in the legal profession, but what then? Well, I expect to gain some valuable experience with this firm. My name will become known before long. I’ll be able to branch out on my own. And then the neighbour continued, Well, maybe I’ll get married and raise a family, and with my income, I’ll certainly be able to give them many of the advantages I didn’t have.

And then, the way I have it figured, I’ll be able to retire at an early age, and my wife and I can travel and do all the things we were too busy to do. And then what will you do? I don’t suppose I can expect to live forever, the young man said. I suppose eventually, like everyone else, I’ll have to die. And the neighbour asked that same question, and then what will happen?

And for the first time in this animated, somewhat one-sided conversation, this young man with all the answers had nothing to say.

This question, the one that really mattered, he had no answer.

A brilliant mind with all sorts of knowledge, but he didn’t have the wisdom that was required to pass the acid test when he was suddenly confronted with life’s most vital question. What’s my hope? In what do I place my eternal trust?

What do I hang on to when I come to the end of the road and that inevitable moment when God taps me on the shoulder and says time’s up. Unless I have the answer to that question, I haven’t got past the ABCs, and my degree is not worth the paper it’s written on. A very revealing conversation.

And that’s really what the church does, you know. It equips people for life, teaching people the truths from the Bible, and they can find inner peace and an understanding that without the Lord Jesus in their lives, life becomes empty and without meaning.

Let’s Pray

Thank you, dear Lord, for that sign on the wall that says we’re here to equip people for life. I pray that every church will have that as its main mission in life, so that people walking by or coming in the door will understand the church has something very special to give them, and may I be able to impart something of that great theme and message to anyone I meet. Amen.

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