Last Labor Day weekend, our church held a Cantonese, English and Mandarin trilingual combined retreat so that we can be spiritually fed, and congregations of different languages had the opportunity to get to know each other. Special thanks to the retreat coworkers for their labor in love.
At the Lakeview retreat site, there is a long chair outdoors with the slogan: "What happens here changes the world".
How can we change the world? It is not a magical chair. It is for the believers to have undisturbed quiet time with the Lord during the short period of the retreat, to communicate with God, to understand God’s will, and to obey Him.
In other words, we may find the direction and goal of serving and work hard to accomplish it.
Let us look at 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Paul compares a race to the life of a Christian. In verses 26-27, Paul talks about his mentality towards ministry. Paul said: "Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air." (1 Corinthians 9:26)
Will the fastest runner always win in a race? Not necessarily. If the runner isn't running towards the finish line, the faster he runs, the farther he is from the finish line. According to Paul, running aimlessly, every road is wrong. Regardless of how fast you run, it is in vain.
In a boxing match, will the fastest and strongest fighter be able to defeat his opponent and win? Not necessarily. If a boxer doesn't aim accurately at his opponent, no matter how fast or strong he is, he only punches the air.
If we are not aimed at the right target, then we may only be beating the air, pushing around air particles, completely missing the opponent. We may run very diligently, but not towards the finish line, or serving busily at church, but not helping God’s kingdom overall.
How can we increase the odds of winning? The most important thing is accuracy.
Paul's attitude was to focus on and aim at the goal. And he was very clear about the mission God wanted him to accomplish; he worked diligently in that direction serving the Lord. We also need to emulate Paul's focus in serving.
Dear brothers and sisters, in the spiritual race, do you know where your finish line is? Is what you are doing now aimed in this direction? (Main point: Is your direction right?) Are you accurately aligned the goal, working hard to accomplish the mission God has given you? (Main point: Are you working hard?)
(Part of the material is from the Retreat Saturday Devotional)
～Rev. Clement Woo 胡嘉明牧師～