DEC 28

Colossians 4:15
Memorise Romans 12:1-2
“…and the church which is in his house…”

Paul goes on in Colossians 4:15 “Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.” Paul asks the Colossian church to acknowledge those in the nearby Laodicean church, and then singles out this man Nymphas who has allowed his house to be used as a house church there. In the early church, there were many such house churches (eg. Romans 16:5, 1 Corinthians 16:19 and Philemon 2), especially during the periods of Roman persecution where it was unsafe to congregate in the open. These who loved the Lord acknowledges that all good gifts come from Him, and would be happy to let their houses be used for the Lord’s work, in spite of the dangers and inconveniences to them and their household. Some of you who have had guests over before, would know the many little chores that one would have to do in order for everything to run smoothly. It would only be their love for Christ that would outweigh all such inconveniences, and motivate them to sacrifice for the Lord.

Do you acknowledge that all that you have comes from God, and thus to be used for Him? Those of you who stay in relatively large homes can ask your parents if they can offer the use of your homes for cottage meetings. More importantly, all of you have been given talents in some areas by God, so if you know what these talents are, then use them to serve God in the relevant ministry. If you do not know what these talents are, then go and find out: pray for God to reveal them, and give various ministries a try to explore what your talents may be. Remember, the more you have been given by God, the more is expected of you. Also, don’t give excuses. Service to God will always involve sacrifice; but if you truly love God, you would realise that such sacrifices are nothing compared to what Christ has done for us. The harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few, perhaps because too many sit on the sidelines watching the labourers instead of labouring for the Lord! If you truly love the Lord, you would do all you can to live your life in service to Him!

Thought: Are you a labourer or a bystander?
Prayer: May I use all that Thine hast given me for Thee, because I love Thee.