I had a mini bible study session with Jean and Kah Mun and the article we went through today reallie blessed me and made me reflect quite a bit... So I thought I'd share bits and pieces from the article. :) May you be equally blessed and thought-provoked as I was. :D

"The delicate art of other-person-centred canoeing"

If you want to get anywhere in a canoe, everyone knows you have to paddle. But, as many weekend thrillseekers find out, it isn't that simple.

Especially with those two-seater - not to mention one of those long, multi-seated racing tubs - and the situation is far more precarious. In a canoe with more than one seat, a new concept is introduced - teamwork. To paddle a canoe together, some intelligent teamwork is called for. You can't just look after your own paddling; you have to keep an eye on your partner. But neither of you can drop your own paddle and lean over to help.

Which brings me to the very Christian phrase,'other-person-centredness' (OPC). OPC is perhaps the most marvellous and distinctive part of being a Christian. It also happens to be the key to successful canoeing.

God the canoer
There are 3 seats in God's canoe - for Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One of the wonders of the Christian faith is the doctrine of the Trinity, that God is 3 persons in one being, a unity in perfect fellowship. The bible reveals to us that the members of Trinity love one another, demonstrated dramatically at Jesus's baptism when the Spirit descended upon him and the voice from heaven was heard to say "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well please" (Matt 3:16-17).

In the light of this doctrine, personal relationships are seen to be ultimate, are seen to be the most real things that are. The characteristic of true relationship is other-person-centredness.

Paddle like Christ
A second reason for pursuing OPC is that it is how Jesus Christ lived. Jesus is the great 'reverser' of human instincts. Where our instinct is for self-preservation and betterment, Jesus considered himself nothing and humbled himself to the point of death on a cross (Phil 2:7,8). Where our instinct is to seek our own glory, Jesus knew that all glory belongs to his Father to be shared as he wills (Rev 4:11). Where our instinct is to be first, Jesus became the slave of all (Mk 10:42-45). We are to be OPC because Jesus was. He set the pattern for us to follow in our relationships - be they spouse, friend or colleague - and he gave us his example of how to do it. We paddle like he does.

FOUR ways to paddle...

1. Paddle your own canoe (just concentrate on yourself)
Some will say that the best way to help others is to just look after yourself. When we're doing a decent job of 'dealing with our own stuff' then everyone benefits. This would, in fact, be fine if the world were a place without suffereing hardship or the rich and the poor.. But God brings each person into different circumstances - some have poverty, some have illness, etc. "No man is a one-seat canoe".

2. Paddle first, help later (think of others after yourself)
'default' position for most human beings. Majority of us do want to help others - with whatever resources we have left over after we have tended to our own needs... and wants... and desires. In a world w/o Christ, this position makes sense. Paddle first, help ;ater if you can. But our knowledge of what God has done of us in Jesus makes it an impossible position for a Christian to maintain. The true follower of Jesus denies himself and takes up his cross daily. "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for mysake will save it", says Jesus (Lk 9:23,24). The paddle-first, help-later position is simply selfishness with a feel-good chaser.

3. Paddling for other people (think of others, not yourself)
You're neglecting ur own work. Remember what happens in the two-seater conoe when you stop paddling! It is try that Christians are called to deny themselves, but denying yourself is different to not doing your job. The Christian faith values the individual and has a place for looking after your own spiritual health. If ou're so focused on serving others that you're neglecting your own spiritual sustenance, then your service isn't going to be up to standard, anyway.

The person who claims "I never think of myself, only others" needs to be careful, lest they are harbouring bitterness, not praying, not learning from God's word, not experiencing the joy of the gospel's grace, and not carrying their own share of the load.

4. PADDLING TOGETHER (THINK OF OTHERS AS WELL AS YOURSELF)
We paddle together. In his church, God gives us the support we need, as well as the people we can serve. We gain strength as we turn to God's work, pray and meet with other believers. We rest in the knowledge that, individually, we are singled out by God to be loved, and, collectively, we are given a new family to which we belong. We also develop the desire to serve others sacrificially, therby following in Jesus' footsteps. "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but alsoto the interests of others", Paul writes in Phil 2:4.

When we realised that each of us matters to God, and to each other, then other-person-centred paddling becomes a joy not a chore.


What will OPC lead us to?

-We'll lay down our lives: in our marriages, in our friendships and in our work and church relationships, we will put into action the belief that relationship are the most real thing there is. We will lay aside our smaller ambitions for the sake of these relationships, valuing them more highly than wordly success, personal reputation or self-protection. We will no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised for our sake (2 Cor 5:15)

- We'll desire the salvation of others: our love for others will mean that we ar concerned for their eternal destiny as well as their current well-being. We will see people from God's perspective, as sheep without shepherd, in need of saving. We will have in our hearts to 'know and share the gospel' with anyone who will listen, so that they might know and share with us the grace that we have in Jesus.

- We'll be united by love: we will not give the devil any opportunity to come between believers. We will seek to serve each other in love, putting away anger, bitterness, callousness, gossip, sexual impurity, pride - for all these things threaten and destroy true OPC living. Instead, we forgive each other, being kind and tenderhearted, just as Christ has forgiven us (Eph 4:23). In this way, our OPC will be obvious to all, and they will know that we are followers of Jesus.

By Greg Clarke

So even if we choose to look after others as we look after ourselves, we won't be short-changed by God! :) Because He gives us the support and strength that we need! Amen!! :))

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