Be A Blessing
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18
"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10
Insight
When we avail ourselves to serving inside the church, something profound happens. Our imagination awakens to how our actual lived life can be rooted in an others-focused love. Serving stretches us by taking us out of our comfort zones and disrupting our familiar routines, bringing us face-to-face with needs that aren't our own.
In the process, God begins teaching us and revealing the depth of His sacrificial, generous character. The more we sacrificially give of ourselves, the more our hearts slowly become shaped into His image of radical love. Our perspective shifts from consumption to actually blessing the lives of those around us with the indescribable grace we have been given.
This transformation doesn't happen all at once, but it unfolds through the simple yet profound process of obeying two commands: love God and love others. You can't just casually participate in something as life-altering as the way of Jesus. It compels you at your core. It drags you outside of yourself. Being active in service is one of the most tangible ways we posture our lives towards that compelling way of selfless abandon.
God's call to love and serve others isn't just confined to Sundays and the church building. When we embrace a posture of service at church, it awakens our minds and hearts to the endless opportunities that surround us each day to demonstrate radical, others-focused love. The church equips you to expand that same self-giving love into your everyday, ordinary life.
As you give of your time and energy to meet needs within the church community, your spiritual eyes are opened in new ways. You start noticing the lonely neighbor who longs for companionship. The stressed-out coworker who could use a listening ear over coffee. The overwhelmed mom who would be blessed by a meal delivery.
You begin to see people through God's lens of empathetic, self-giving love instead of your old self-centered mindset. Serving reorients you outwardly so you're constantly attuned to the needs of others rather than inwardly fixated on your own needs and desires. Suddenly, you can't help but notice the people God has strategically placed within your daily scope of influence. The prompting to build a bridge to them through simple acts of compassion and care becomes clear.
God blesses us so that we can be a blessing. Having been transformed by the cross of Christ, our hearts should constantly overflow with uncontainable gratitude. A generous spirit isn't just a nice idea - it is the only healthy way for a Christ-follower to live. We weren’t designed to stash grace and love, but to give it away freely.
Yes, following His direction and serving others wholeheartedly will cost us something. It will require our time, energy, and comfort. But here's the promise: Following His way of others-focused living always leads to profound goodness - in our own lives as we are shaped into people of love, and in the lives of those we impact with that same love.
There are a million ways to start giving love away today. The possibilities are endless because we have been loved beyond measure by Love Himself. Every small act of service and surrender, no matter how seemingly insignificant, puts God's glory uniquely on display.
Don't resist the gentle prodding to join Him in this way of outrageous love. Yes, it will cost you something, but you will experience the meaning and purpose you have been craving. Each act of surrendered service, no matter how small, changes our world and changes our hearts for the better. Where can you start giving love away today?
Reflection
Serving always costs us something - time, energy, comfort. But it brings us profound purpose and aligns our lives with God's heart. What has serving cost you in the past? How has it been worth the cost?
Think about your current rhythms and routines. Where have you stayed in your comfort zone when God may be prompting you to serve in new ways? What would it look like to embrace an "others-focused" mindset?
Further Practice
Look back through your calendar from last month. What did your time, talents, and resources prioritize? Did it reflect an others-focused mindset? Identify 1-2 adjustments you could make.
Prayer
Father, give me spiritual eyes to see the endless opportunities You've placed before me to demonstrate your radical, others-focused love. Fill me with a heart of compassion that cannot rest until I've poured out every drop of blessing on those around me who need Your hope. I surrender my comfort and embrace the stretching that comes through serving. Amen.