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Loving Others

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I remember when I met Susan. She called in to our live television show a few years ago. Her voice was shaking, and she was very nervous. Susan said that she felt like God had thrown her out of His life.

When I asked why she felt that way, Susan told me, “In every church I have attended, people judge me when they find out about my past.” Apparently, she had been married multiple times, and had some past sins that she was ashamed about. Susan felt that she didnt fit in at any church.

Isnt that sad? What Susan needed was Christians to really show her Christ-like love. To accept her for where she was, not judge her past, and encourage her to grow in the Lord. Jesus Himself commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

So why is it so difficult to love others sincerely? Because loving as Jesus loves is impossible to do on our own. We need Gods love in us, to show that love to our world.

First John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.”

Loving well takes practice, and resting in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. But its absolutely essential if you want to see people changed. Love, my friend, is the essence of reaching your world for Jesus Christ.

You’re Not on Your Own

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The great missionary and evangelist Stanley Jones wrote that most Christians will need to re-surrender their lives to God to protect them, as he said, “from the inroads of the world.”

My recommitment occurred in my early twenties when I was a seminary student. I had given my life to Christ when I was twelve, but over the next ten years had fallen into behaviors that were far from Christ-like. I felt like a hypocrite. Then one day, Major Ian Thomas spoke at our chapel service.

Major Thomas told the story of Moses and the burning bush. Even though the bush was just a bunch of dried up sticks, Moses knew that God was in it. It hit me that I was like that bush.

I was like a useless bunch of dried up sticks, unless God filled me. Thomas closed by reading Galatians 2:20 where Paul says “I have been crucified in Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” I realized then that I was trying to live in my own power instead of Gods indwelling, resurrection power.

When you understand that Christ lives in you, its not what you can do for God, but what God will do in and through you. Youre not on your own, especially when you share your faith. So, ask the Lord for opportunities, and then boldly share the faith you possess.

A Christ-like Example

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Jeff told me he worked at a restaurant, and had been trying to find a way to reach out to his co-workers. He said that Ephesians 2:10 kept coming into his mind. It says, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” So Jeff asked the Lord, “What good works do you want me to do?”

That’s when the idea came to him. Jeff began asking his co-workers if they would be willing to help sponsor a needy child through a Christian organization. Sure enough, 22 employees signed up to sponsor abused and neglected girls through an association in Arequipa, Peru.

So, not only is Jeff reaching out to those less fortunate than himself in Peru, he’s also being the light of Christ to his non-Christian co-workers. They are learning what a rich and rewarding experience it is to serve others in Jesus’ name. They are also seeing, in Jeff, a living, breathing example of someone being the hands and feet of Christ.

Are you modeling a Christ-like attitude to your world? You never know what good you can do, and what hearts may be changed by your example. So begin today. Do whatever the Holy Spirit lays on your heart to do and do it in His name.