“It is God Himself who has made us what we are and given
us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ago He planned that we should spend
these lives in helping others” (Eph. 2:10 LB).
One thing that I’ve learned talking to people over the
years is that both Christians and non-Christians alike have a desire deep
within them to make a difference in other people’s lives. This is frequently
why people become medical professionals, firefighters, police officers, school
teachers, social workers, etc. Rick Warren said, “In God’s kingdom, you have a
place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill. This gives your life great
significance and value… (When we serve others, being motivated by a love for
God, we are actually serving the Lord). We don’t serve God out of guilt or fear
or even duty, but out of joy, and deep gratitude for what He’s done for us” (Purpose
Driven Life, p. 228).
You and I have been blessed to be a blessing. We are meant to
help others. When you help others, needs are met, lives are changed, you feel
better about yourself, and the world becomes a better place.
Unfortunately though, many suppress their God-given purpose
of helping others. “Serving tends to be the opposite of our natural
inclination. Most of the time we’re more interested in ‘serve us’ than service.
We say, ‘I’m looking for a church that meets my needs and blesses me, not ‘I’m
looking for a place to serve and be a blessing.’ We expect others to serve us,
not vice versa. But as we mature in Christ, the focus of our lives should
increasingly shift to living a life of service. The mature follower of Jesus
stops asking, ‘Who’s going to meet my needs? And starts asking, “Whose needs
can I meet?” (Purpose Driven Life, p. 231).
Corrie Ten Boom said, “The measure of a life after all, is
not its duration, but its donation.” You and I were born to be a blessing to
others. Therefore, in the words of John Wesley, “Do all the good you
can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you
can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can.”
This is one of the reasons that we at Eugene Christian
Church seek to offer a variety of opportunities to serve and help those within
the community and abroad. And God has blessed us with several very gifted and
skilled individuals who can serve in a great variety of ways. However, one’s
gifts and talents do not exclude them from being a blessing to others.
The Bible tells us that there will be a Day when Jesus
returns and He will say to some as they give an account for their lives:
“…Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom
prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave
Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick
and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.' "Then
the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You,
or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and
invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or
in prison and go to visit You?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the
truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did
for Me.' (Matt. 25:34-40).
What matters is the little things we do for others. So may
all of us seek out ways that we can be a blessing to others, and you my friend,
will be blessed in return.
In His service,
Matt
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