"Love in Action"
Watch what God does, and then you do it,
like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.
Mostly what God does is love you.
Keep company with him and learn a life of love.
Observe how Christ loved us.
His love was not cautious but extravagant.
He didn't love in order to get something from us
but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Ephesians 5:1-2
An American was walking down the streets of a Chinese city. He was greatly interested in the children, many of whom were carrying smaller children on their backs, and managing at the same time to play their games. ‘It is too bad,’ the American sympathetically said to one little boy, ‘that you have to carry such a heavy burden!’ ‘He’s no burden,’ came the quick reply; ‘he’s my brother.’ ‘Well, you are gracious to say so!’ said the man, and he gave the boy some money.
When the American reached home he said to his family: “A little Chinese boy has taught me the fullest meaning of the words, ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.’ “ He told them of his interview, and added: “If a little Chinese boy can carry and care for his brother and refuse to consider him as a burden, surely we ought not to think it a burden to carry our little brothers, the weak and the needy ones, who look to us for help. Let us rejoice as we carry others, and say by our actions, ‘He’s no burden; he’s my brother."
__________________________________________
"The doors of history hinge on the
extraordinary decisions of ordinary people."
__________________________________________
"Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone." (Romans 13:9-10) Opportunities to love others come at unexpected moments. Every time we hug our children, sincerely ask a co-worker ‘How you doing?’, or smile at our neighbor is love in action. With the break up of the family structure and the mobility of society, many are missing the emotional support they need. This produces loneliness. Loneliness is at epidemic proportions. It isn’t restricted to the elderly. It is a way of life for many single people as well. Here are some suggestions for putting love into action: Practice hospitality. Write a letter of encouragement. Make a phone call. Speak truthful and positive things that boosts their self-esteem. Send a greeting card. Provide a need they have like clothing or food. Do an activity with them that they enjoy doing. Deliver a home cooked meal. Visit them when they are in the hospital or grieving from a profound loss. Do the tasks around your home, church, or office that no one else enjoys doing. Give money to meet a need without any strings attached. Pray with them or at least let them know you are praying for them. Include them in family functions especially during the holidays.
Eternal relationships are developed over time with the sharing of life's joys and sorrows. This level of relationship is shown in the biblical characters of Jonathan and David. Their friendship was founded on devotion and a commitment to support each other in obtaining God's purpose for each of their lives - regardless of any personal cost. Loving relationships are wonderful sources of support, encouragement, companionship, and inspiration. If we choose not to have relationships and isolate ourselves into a lonely existence, our chance for spiritual survival is not as good.
An extraordinary example of love in action is found in the life of Mother Teresa. She responded to a call from God to leave teaching girls at a Catholic school and minister to the poorest of the poor in India. There she lived for over fifty years with only the barest essentials for life. Every day she picked up the poor people that had been left to die in the streets. She carried them to where she lived and cared for them as if they were Jesus. Mother Teresa’s description of love, "We have all been created for greater things - to love a person without any conditions, without any expectations. Works of love are works of peace and purity. Works of love are always a means of becoming closer to God, so the more we help each other, the more we really love God better by loving each other."
When we go the extra mile in helping others it demonstrates God's love in action... especially to the Junkyard People.
1. Who are the Junkyard People?
When the American reached home he said to his family: “A little Chinese boy has taught me the fullest meaning of the words, ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.’ “ He told them of his interview, and added: “If a little Chinese boy can carry and care for his brother and refuse to consider him as a burden, surely we ought not to think it a burden to carry our little brothers, the weak and the needy ones, who look to us for help. Let us rejoice as we carry others, and say by our actions, ‘He’s no burden; he’s my brother."
__________________________________________
"The doors of history hinge on the
extraordinary decisions of ordinary people."
__________________________________________
"Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone." (Romans 13:9-10) Opportunities to love others come at unexpected moments. Every time we hug our children, sincerely ask a co-worker ‘How you doing?’, or smile at our neighbor is love in action. With the break up of the family structure and the mobility of society, many are missing the emotional support they need. This produces loneliness. Loneliness is at epidemic proportions. It isn’t restricted to the elderly. It is a way of life for many single people as well. Here are some suggestions for putting love into action: Practice hospitality. Write a letter of encouragement. Make a phone call. Speak truthful and positive things that boosts their self-esteem. Send a greeting card. Provide a need they have like clothing or food. Do an activity with them that they enjoy doing. Deliver a home cooked meal. Visit them when they are in the hospital or grieving from a profound loss. Do the tasks around your home, church, or office that no one else enjoys doing. Give money to meet a need without any strings attached. Pray with them or at least let them know you are praying for them. Include them in family functions especially during the holidays.
Eternal relationships are developed over time with the sharing of life's joys and sorrows. This level of relationship is shown in the biblical characters of Jonathan and David. Their friendship was founded on devotion and a commitment to support each other in obtaining God's purpose for each of their lives - regardless of any personal cost. Loving relationships are wonderful sources of support, encouragement, companionship, and inspiration. If we choose not to have relationships and isolate ourselves into a lonely existence, our chance for spiritual survival is not as good.
An extraordinary example of love in action is found in the life of Mother Teresa. She responded to a call from God to leave teaching girls at a Catholic school and minister to the poorest of the poor in India. There she lived for over fifty years with only the barest essentials for life. Every day she picked up the poor people that had been left to die in the streets. She carried them to where she lived and cared for them as if they were Jesus. Mother Teresa’s description of love, "We have all been created for greater things - to love a person without any conditions, without any expectations. Works of love are works of peace and purity. Works of love are always a means of becoming closer to God, so the more we help each other, the more we really love God better by loving each other."
When we go the extra mile in helping others it demonstrates God's love in action... especially to the Junkyard People.
1. Who are the Junkyard People?They are the emotionally wounded and developmentally challenged in our society. Many have been discarded. Like broken down cars they've been abandoned at the Junkyard. The longer these people remain in the Junkyard, the more they believe they are useless. With each passing day they lose more of the ability to help themselves leave. But Jesus the Master Mechanic of hearts can repair, restore, and help them. Only Jesus can perform this miracle of restoration on the Junkyard People. He begins their restoration process by bringing into their lives Christians. These members of the Body of Christ act as tow trucks that pull the Junkyard people into knowing God's love for them. To love a person this way is to meet them right where they are. It’s speaking to them in terms they understand. Its giving them the time they need before they are encouraged to make any lifestyle changes. Jesus did the same for us. He didn’t expect us to shape up overnight. He first gave us time to get to know Him before he challenged us to change.
2. What might stop me from building relationships? Fear. It can be the by-product of painful life experiences involving rejection, abandonment, abuse, and other traumas. Fear stops God's love from flowing through you. It steals from you the blessings of healthy Christian relatiionships. Facing our fears uncovers our self-protectiveness. It is designed to make sure no one hurts us. This results in not being open, but if we trust no one - life is more painful. Investing in others might be new emotional territory that's outside your comfort zones. If you are willing to be stretched beyond present boundaries, God will empower you to be transparent as you develop lasting and loving relationships, so I encourage you to love like you've never been hurt.
3. What promotes healthy relationships?
3. What promotes healthy relationships? Gentleness: showing concern by meeting the needs of others. 1 Thessalonians 2:7, "As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but we were as gentle among you as a mother feeding and caring for her own children."
Hospitality: cheerfully sharing food and shelter. Hebrews 13:2, "Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!"
Availability: adjusting personal desires around the needs of others. Philippians 2:20-22, "I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has helped me in preaching the Good News."
Attentiveness: give undivided focus to others' words and emotions. Hebrews 2:1, "We must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it."
Tolerance: viewing every person as a valuable individual. Philippians 2:2-4, "Make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing."
Deference: limiting our actions and speech in order not to offend others. Romans 14:21, "Don't eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble."
Keep Secrets: don't repeat what has been entrusted to you. If the information is something you don't want the responsibility for, tell the person before they disclose their secret.
Sensitivity: knowing by the prompting of God's Spirit what actions and words will benefit the lives of others and what will not. Don't say things that represent others in an unfavorable light and don't repeat things that make people look bad - conceal it. (Prov. 17:9 & 11:13) Romans 12:15-16, "When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!"
Active listening: Stop whatever we are doing. Give the other person our undivided attention. Look into the eyes of that person as they speak. Here's an illustration demonstrating this principle:
One day a 4 year old boy was playing with his toys at his Daddy's feet as his Daddy read the newspaper. The little boy began telling him of his adventurous day and the Dad would only respond with a generic "Ah Ya" and a nod of his head. After 5 minutes of this type of shallow interaction, the little boy shouted, "Daddy you're not listening to me!" "Oh, yes I am." said the Daddy as he continued to read the newspaper. Out of frustration the little boy grabbed the newspaper, crawled up on his Dad's lap, and placed his little hands on each side of his Daddy's face. Then he pointed the Dad's eyes right at him. The little boy then said, "Daddy, I want you to listen with your eyes!"
How often do we find ourselves giving just a nod of response instead of truly listening? Real listening requires our undivided focus on the one speaking by keeping our thoughts on what is being said not on what we want to say next.
Forgiveness: Love that forgives is God's type of love. The benefits of forgiving others includes:
1. Freedom for the one forgiving and the one being forgiven, Matthew 18:32-35.
2. Enables you to receive God's forgiveness, Matthew 6:14-15.
3. Prevents you from becoming bitter, Hebrews 12:15. Bitterness is a cancer of the soul. It must be dealt with or it will defile you and your family. Don't deal with the symptoms, deal with the root. Ask yourself what you are afraid of. Your answer reveals your area of bitterness.
Forgiving others isn’t accepting the role of a victim nor does it excuse or ignore the behavior or minimize the act or pretend it never happened or say it doesn't matter. True forgiveness doesn’t need to be accompanied by a current good feeling or emotion. Forgiveness doesn't surrender justice. Forgiveness isn't necessarily forgetting. Forgiveness is the required element for resolving anger and receiving emotional healing. Reconcilation isn't possible in some relationships, but forgiveness is always the right choice.
Knowing God Power of Prayer Spiritual Warfare Glossary
Born to Love Renew the Mind Crisis Help What Readers Are Saying
Divine Connection Are You a Misfit? Love in Action ____________________________________________________________________________
Scriptures quotations taken from the New Living Translation® (NLT) Bible. Copyright © 1996 Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
CJB denotes scripture quotations taken from the Complete Jewish Bible® (CJB) Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern and used with the permission of Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 615, Clarksville, Maryland 21029. This Bible is available through Messianic Jewish Resources at: MessianicJewish.net
The Message by Eugene Petersen. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
Quote from The Cry of Mordecai by Robert Stearns, Copyright © 2009; 12 words from page 26. Destiny Image Publishers.
Forgiveness: Love that forgives is God's type of love. The benefits of forgiving others includes:
1. Freedom for the one forgiving and the one being forgiven, Matthew 18:32-35.
2. Enables you to receive God's forgiveness, Matthew 6:14-15.
3. Prevents you from becoming bitter, Hebrews 12:15. Bitterness is a cancer of the soul. It must be dealt with or it will defile you and your family. Don't deal with the symptoms, deal with the root. Ask yourself what you are afraid of. Your answer reveals your area of bitterness.
Forgiving others isn’t accepting the role of a victim nor does it excuse or ignore the behavior or minimize the act or pretend it never happened or say it doesn't matter. True forgiveness doesn’t need to be accompanied by a current good feeling or emotion. Forgiveness doesn't surrender justice. Forgiveness isn't necessarily forgetting. Forgiveness is the required element for resolving anger and receiving emotional healing. Reconcilation isn't possible in some relationships, but forgiveness is always the right choice.
Knowing God Power of Prayer Spiritual Warfare Glossary
Born to Love Renew the Mind Crisis Help What Readers Are Saying
Divine Connection Are You a Misfit? Love in Action ____________________________________________________________________________
Scriptures quotations taken from the New Living Translation® (NLT) Bible. Copyright © 1996 Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
CJB denotes scripture quotations taken from the Complete Jewish Bible® (CJB) Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern and used with the permission of Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 615, Clarksville, Maryland 21029. This Bible is available through Messianic Jewish Resources at: MessianicJewish.net
The Message by Eugene Petersen. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
Quote from The Cry of Mordecai by Robert Stearns, Copyright © 2009; 12 words from page 26. Destiny Image Publishers.