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Helping Others Get To Where They Want To Go
We recently spent the day shopping. I can tell you, it was one of the highlights of my life . . . Not!
i came across little gift card that caught my attention. It was a transparent envelope with a bottle shaped card that read, “Look Inside”. I thought it was a cleaver idea.
In our lives of comfort and ease, even in these economic struggles, we often fail to look inside to see what God is doing and how He is working in our hearts.
Paul reminds us that we are to examine ourselves . . . or look inside . . . on a regular basis.
“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out.” 2 Cor 13:5, and
“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others.” Gal 6:4
As we look inside, we are reminded that as God has touched us, we can touch others. As we look in, we begin to live out.
Here are some thoughts on looking inside and living outside . . .
1. We bless others because we have been blessed. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminds us that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:3). When we look inside at all the ways God has blessed us, we need to be about the work of being a blessing to others.
2. We love others because we have been loved. Jesus is the source of love . . . He is love. We are told that we love, only because we have been first loved by God. (I John 4:19) As we walk in this life, we are to be aware of the opportunities that come before us each and every day to show love and to represent the love of God.
3. We give because we have been given. John reminds us (I John 3:18) that since we do have this worlds goods, that we ought to concerned on how to share those goods with others . . . with those who are in need. We give . . . following the example of God seen in John 3:16 . . . He loved . . . He gave!
4. We serve because we have been served. The heart of a believer, of a Christ-follower is seen in one who serves. NT teaching is reflective in Mark 10:45, Matt. 20:28, and John 12:26. Jesus did not come to be served . . . but to serve . . . and He has given us that example to follow.
Take a look on the inside . . . Do you like what you see?
Blessings . . . Love . . . Giving . . . Serving.
ServantOne 