Why "Five"?

As I mentioned on the last post (the Friday Links Roundup), I  have been challenging our e-newsletter readers to invite five people to worship each week. Of course, it can be the same five, but that got me to thinking that five is a fairly small  number. Why settle on that number, and why stop at just inviting people.

Here are some “fives” that might help you in your Christian walk.

1. Can you give 5 more minutes each day to prayer? I fully understand that prayer isn’t about the “quantity” of time. Prayer is about the heart and the connection with God. However, that connection comes through prayer. Find five minutes in the morning, on a lunch break, or before retiring at night and pray a personal prayer.

2. Can you give $5 more this week? Is there a trip to a fast-food place you could give up? How about selling something small on eBay or Craigslist? How about just squeezing that last bit of October’s budget out and giving it to the Lord. Try it for one week and see if you can’t do it.

3. Can you send five cards, emails, texts, Facebook messages or tweets to encourage someone? With as many ways as we have to reach people today, it should be easier than ever to encourage. Find five and do it!

4. Can you read five pages of the Bible today? Notice I didn’t say chapters or books. Can you just pick out five pages of Psalms or in the life of Christ and read that much? Reading the Bible by number of pages is a good way to read quite a bit without feeling like you have to “finish 10 chapters” today.

5. Can you invite five people to worship this week? Just sit down with a scrap of paper or type on your computer five people. They don’t even have to be names! You could put “doctor” on your list if you have an appointment. What about “child’s teacher.” If you know the names, that’s better, but why not make one or two general. I go to a place to get my hair cut where I just take whoever is available, so, a couple of weeks ago, my list had “hair cut” on it. The man who cut my hair got an invite.

Five fives. Can you do them? None takes a huge commitment, but each takes some thought and dedication. Starting in these small ways, you can do a lot of good!

What are some other “fives” we could do to reach others and be more faithful?