Anne Witton on mission

I used to work at Northern Rock as a mortgage advisor. Once I had a customer who had a £300,000 mortgage and obviously had a good job, nice car etc. and he was haggling over £2.70 that he didn’t think he should pay. It got me thinking about priorities and how sometimes we have such a warped view of what’s important. Everything in society tries to tell you that your worth as a person is measured by your bank balance, your salary, the car you drive, your marital status, your children and your qualifications.

But the things that really matter are often hidden and don’t get recognised this side of heaven. You can’t put ‘godly character’ on your CV. You never see ‘compassion’ appearing on a bank statement. You can’t change your Facebook relationship status to ‘Bride of Christ’. You can’t get a GCSE in integrity. Yet these are the things that are really significant. These are the only things we can take with us when we leave this earth.

Society celebrates the external things that we achieve now, and even Christian society reflects this to some extent. We celebrate marriages and births, job successes and generous giving. And these things are worth celebrating, as long as we have the right perspective.

Look at the Bible. It says that the widow’s offering was more important than the rich man’s. 1 It says the last will be first. 2 It says that God sees what is unseen and God looks at the heart, not at external appearances. 3 I want to know what Paul’s talking about when he says that he has learnt the secret of being content in all circumstances. 4 I want to rejoice in who God says I am and know that I am so precious to him, even if my salary’s low or my health is bad. I don’t want to be trapped by possessions or the world’s expectations. I want to be free to enjoy the things that really matter in life, and the great thing is that Jesus has given me that freedom. 5

1 Mark 12: 41 - 44
2 Matthew 19: 30
3 1 Sam 16: 7
4 Phil 4: 11
5 Galatians 5: 13