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Observing other Christians at work is one of those. Some who say that they find inspiration from God's creation make no effort to be inspired by the summit of his creation: the body of Christ.

I tend to freeze in situations of crisis and not know what to do. Praise God, I have colleagues who do not freeze and who do know what to do.

What a boring place the world would be if we were all alike. And how wonderful that each one of us has a significant work to accomplish in God's plan for the world!

This is a tough one! I think that this side of heaven our motives will always be mixed. If we wait till our motives are perfect, we may never do anything.

I think we must share our joy over what is happening through us because the Bible tells us that Christians must rejoice with those who rejoice (Rom. 12:15) and also rejoice when one member is honored (1 Cor. 12:26).

Because Christianity is a community religion where people love each other, testimony is an important part of Christianity. So we need to share the good things that God has done to and through us.

Besides, Paul talked about what he was doing and hoping to do as a means of raising funds for his Jerusalem church aid project (2 Cor. 8-11).

But we can publicize our work just so that people will be impressed by us. We can do some things during crisis situations primarily out of the desire to push our name forward. I think we are seeing a lot of that on television and over the radio at the moment in Sri Lanka.

May no activity of ours come primarily from the desire to push our organizations or us forward. May we check such thoughts when they arise through specific confession.

Such are my prayers and desires for my colleagues, myself, and all who minister in Christ's name during disaster.

Ajith Fernando, author of Jesus Driven Ministry and many other books, has been director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka since 1976. He is also a corresponding editor for Christianity Today.

Related Elsewhere:

To support the YFC tsunami relief work in Sri Lanka and for more information on YFC, visit Youth for Christ International's website.

Christianity Today's coverage of the tsunami includes:

India's Christians Prominent in Casualties and Aid | Velankanni basilica, Christian fishermen among hardest hit. (Dec. 30, 2004)

Dispatch: Disaster Prompts 'Neighborly Love' | The director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka meets Christian survivors straining to deliver aid to victims despite their own losses. (Dec. 30, 2004)

Tsunami survivors desperate for aid | Christian groups worldwide mobilize massive relief effort to South Asia. (Dec. 29, 2004)

More coverage of the tsunami's impact on Sri Lanka is available from the Daily News, Daily Mirror, The Island, and Sri Lanka News Web. Sri Lanka's ITN television network is being webcast live here.

More tsunami coverage in general is available from Yahoo full coverage, the BBC, and most other news sites.

Past Christianity Today coverage of Sri Lanka is available here.

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December (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48