Niccoló Machiavelli was a 16^th century Italian Renaissance historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer, whose name has become part of the English language; if we say someone is ‘Machiavellian’, we mean that they are scheming and devious, adept at getting their own way and manipulating others to do what they want them to do. He’s probably most famous for writing ‘The Prince’, describing an ‘ideal’ ruler; in the book, he writes about immoral behaviour, such as dishonesty and killing innocent people, as being a normal and effective way of governing, and one of his most famous sayings is ‘the end justifies the means.’ For Machiavelli, immoral behaviour – dishonesty, cruelty, even murder – can be condoned if it is for a ‘justifiable’ end. Machiavelli’s views are the views of so much of our modern society, and it can be very difficult for Christians not to absorb this way of thinking as the norm, because it’s so utterly prevalent around us. That is why Paul urges us not to ‘conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,’ (Rom 12:2) because we need a completely different way of thinking, a completely different pattern or mould.

According to Machiavelli, fear is a powerful motivator and it is better to be feared than to be loved. Fear inhibits us, however; if we are afraid, we are not likely to do much at all. We see that in the Parable of the Talents, when the servant’s perception of the master as cruel and to be feared led to his burying his money and doing nothing profitable with it. (Matt 25:24-25) John reminds us that perfect love drives out fear (1 Jn 4:18) and Paul shows us that love has to be the thing which motivates every action (1 Cor 13:1-3).

Love is God’s motivator (1 Jn 4:9, Jn 3:16) and therefore nothing less than love has to be our motivator. Christ’s love must be the compelling force behind all that we do (2 Cor 5:14).

In the 1990s, Mr Motivator was one of the fitness icons on TV urging people to adopt exercise and therefore live a healthier life. Love has to be our ‘Mr Motivator’ in all we do.

Why do we do the things we do? Does it matter what motivates us? Surely if we are obeying the rules, that’s all God cares about?

In our alphabet series of things essential for a life of faith, we looked at the fact that M is for Motivation.

Motivation is the fuel which keeps us going on days when we would otherwise flag and give up (see Gal 6:7-9). God desires truth in the inmost parts (see Ps 51:6); it’s not enough to look good on the outside if the inside is rotten (see Jesus’ comments to the Pharisees in Matt 23:25-26). Paul tells us to ‘examine ourselves’ and ‘test ourselves’ to see whether we are in the faith (2 Cor 13:5), to see if our motivation is pure and sincere, and we have to understand that God sees the heart and doesn’t look at the outward appearance. (1 Sam 16:7)

Life is rather like an iceberg: the tip of that iceberg represents our actions and behaviour, but so much is hidden from plain view, and that represents our motivation. We need to understand that God wants to be at the heart of our thinking and in our attitudes as well as in our actions!

For Jesus, how we live is as important as that we live. The way that we do things matters as much as what we do. We must never subscribe to Machiavelli’s philosophy that ‘the end justifies the means’. Instead, we have to dig deep into our motives and ask ourselves 3 questions.

1. Are we motivated by fear or by love?
2. Are we motivated by a desire to please people or to please God?
3. Are we motivated by selfish goals or by God-goals?

The Thurnscoe Spring Show, organised by Big Local Thurnscoe, started with a procession from Thurnscoe East down to Houghton Road Centre. It included a celebration of Thurnscoe’s mining history and also focussed on various circus and spring activities, including maypole dancing.

Inside Houghton Road Centre there were a variety of stalls, with refreshments being served, and Thurnscoe Male Voice Choir gave a short performance too.

Mark spoke this morning from Luke 5:17-26, where Jesus heals a paralysed man brought to Him by four friends (see also Mk 2:1-12). This amazing miracle prompted awe and astonishment among the people and is a vivid reminder of God’s power. People came from far and wide (from Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem) because Jesus was in the area and they were eager to see the demonstrations of God’s power which accompanied His presence: ‘the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.’ (Luke 5:17) The four friends who brought the paralysed man were determined to bring their friend to Jesus and it was their faith to which Jesus responded.

God is moved by faith. If we want to see God move in the miraculous, in healings and other miracles, we have to approach Him with faith. We are not told if the paralysed man himself had faith, and this is a vivid reminder that sometimes we can be the ones who bring people to God. Even the scribes and Pharisees who were present had not seen anything like this, and despite their scepticism and disdain for Jesus, they could not refute the evidence of their own eyes: the man was lowered down on a mat, but left carrying the mat and glorifying God! We imagine his friends having to run after him, so great was the miracle God did in his life!

Rom 8:11 reminds us that the same Spirit which raised Christ from the dead now dwells in us and is able to bring life to our mortal bodies. We are able to be instruments who carry people to Jesus. We can see healings and miracles as we do so, for God is still in the house, still dwelling in us and using us to reach out to others!

Fancy doing some artwork on where you live? Got some photos of the local area? Why not consider sending them to the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival for a chance to win some High Street vouchers and have your work exhibited at the Dearne Playhouse in September?

The competition, run by the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival, is open till 12 noon on Friday 30th June and is on the theme ‘Where I Live’. There are 3 categories for both art & photography submissions – under 11, 12-18 and 19+. Please let children know and spread the word as widely as possible! Artwork can be in any medium (watercolour, pastels, oils, pen, pencil etc.) and photos can be either digital or film, any size up to A3.

For further details, contact julie@gpcchurch.co.uk and if you have work ready to submit, drop it off at Goldthorpe or Thurnscoe Library, or email us at goldthorpe.bolton@cpruk.net, making sure your work includes your name, age, contact telephone number and contact email address.

Get those creative juices flowing!

Garry spoke tonight from Eph 3:9-13 and Eph 4:1-4, talking about how we are urged to live the life worthy of our calling. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written whilst he was a prisoner in Rome, under house arrest. Despite these inauspicious circumstances, Paul was able to pray and minister to a wide range of churches; he may have been in physical chains, but spiritually he was free. This gives us an important insight into how we need that wider perspective when we suffer, for suffering tends to focus our attention very narrowly. When we are in pain or suffer (e.g. through bereavement or grief), we often find it difficult to see beyond our own circumstances and pain, but God wants us to look through the macro lens rather than be consumed by the micro.

In a photograph, we can zoom in on one aspect of the photo, but so often, there is a ‘bigger picture’ to be seen; we need ‘helicopter vision’ to zoom out and see that bigger picture. Paul is keen that the Ephesians are not discouraged because of his suffering (Eph 3:13), for he is aware that he is fulfilling God’s plan for his life, even though he was chained and restricted. Paul’s prayers for the Ephesians (see Eph 1:15-19) reflect thankfulness, which is the key to seeing the bigger picture. He prays for their eyes to be enlightened or illuminated to see the hope God has for them. So often, when we suffer, the picture looks black and white, but as our eyes are illuminated, we see the colours of hope.

Paul prayed for the Ephesians to fully grasp God’s love in all its dimensions (Eph 3:14-19) and to be able to see with clear vision. He longed for them to live out their faith, being fully convinced of their falling. Acts 17:24-25 and Heb 1:3 remind us that we owe our whole lives to God, who sustains us and who has reconciled us to Himself (Col 1:15-20). This reconciliation restores us (rather like the enthusiast who restores a classic motorbike to an even better condition than when it was first made!) – but we are free to choose whether we embrace the plans God has for us (Eph 2:10) or whether we ignore God’s way. God’s plan is for us to find fulfilment in Him; this restored relationship also leads us to the place of rest (Matt 11:18-20), but the choice is ours.