In The Beginning

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 

In Him was life and the life was the light of men.

John 1:1-5

What is so powerful about this scripture is that even a child can read it and experience the power of God’s Word. 

We gain sense of the vastness of God’s plan for us.  He planned from the beginning for us to know Him.  God reveals Himself through His word, and His Son, Jesus, redeems us and reclaims us as God’s own children. 

 

In the beginning God already knew you, get to know Him. 

The Harvest Is Plentiful

 

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into this harvest.”

Matthew 9:35-38  

 

Jesus saw many needy people and He ministered to everyone of them.  He understood that it was not only the physical bodies which needed healing but also those who were suffering from distress.  

 

We need not be doctors to minister to the needs of the sick or those who are distressed.  We can listen and show compassion and consideration and pray with those who are suffering.  We can direct people to those who can help them.  All this is the least we can do. 

 

Remember, Jesus calls us to help others. 

 

Wait Patiently

I waited patiently for the Lord;

And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He brought me out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay.

And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;

Many will see and fear

And will trust in the Lord.

 

Psalm 40:1-3

God gives us courage to wait out the bad times.  We survive not by yelling, swearing and taking our anger out on the world, but by patiently waiting to see what God is going to do.  

 

It is when we come through tough times, still standing in our faith that others witness the power of God. 

 

Remember His Wonders

 

Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders.

Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek is face continually.

Remember His wonders which He has done….

Psalm 105:1-5

We need to do some bragging about what God has done for us.  Not to rub the noses of others in our blessings, but to give witness that God is with us and that He is with them, too.

The blessing just keep coming and we need to take time to recognize the blessings.  Do you have a car that always starts?  That is a blessing.  And, how about when you drive to work and every light along the way is green?  Or, when we are able to help someone out, and we bless them and we are blessed? We are blessed in hundreds of ways every day.  

Seek the Lord and His strength and remember the wonders He has done for you. 

What Are Our Motives?

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3-4

The Apostle Paul points out a common human flaw - we want what we want and to get what we want we may not act in the best interests of others.  

Paul encourages us to examine our motives; that is, are we merely working to achieve our financial and personal goals, or are we interested in achieving our goals while looking out for others and their interests? 

I think this comes down to asking:  What would Jesus do?  And, then doing it. 

 

Do Good Anyway

 

But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?”

“And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

Luke 13:14-17

When someone is doing something good for people there are always critics. People can make you question if what you are doing is right, even though you know what you are doing is right.  You may be serving meals to poor people or giving shoes and coats to children or helping people pay their electric bills or any of a hundred other things that people do everyday to help needy people.  Then BANG!  There they are: The critics trying to discourage you.  

 

Jesus experienced this same thing when He was healing people on Sunday. 

Why should we expect less when we are doing the work God has given us to do?

Mother Teresa said, “… Do good anyway.” 

And we will. 

Sow Bountifully

 

Now this I say; he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

I think this is about more than giving money.  It is about giving of ourselves; speaking up when others are silent, taking care of those who others may not think deserve to be taken care of, and doing the right thing when everyone else is standing around with their hands in their pockets and saying, "It's not my problem."

Like it or not, as Christians, it is our problem.  Our job is to speak up and defend the defenseless and the not so defenseless, because we are not called to be judges, we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus and do His work.

 

And, we cheerfully do this because we are changed. God has taken away our hearts of stone and replaced them with hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19-20).

Sow bountifully.