I put the picture up that you see because it reminded me of kindness and love. After all, who amongst us doesn't love to see smiling little faces, eager to learn and develop their minds. And it certainly is important that we be kind and love the little ones and I know that each of you love your children dearly and will do your very best to raise them correctly so that they will become good, God-fearing adults.
We Christians, however, are tasked with living our life with kindness and love in a much broader way. Jesus expects us to love all of mankind, including those who don't love us. Some of those same people commit evil actions directed at us and appear to us to have hate for us in their hearts. So how do we live with kindness and love toward everyone? Well, what we have to do is open our hearts to the Spirit and let Him infect you with it. You don't have to love the actions that others take, but you are charged with loving the sinner who commits the sin. This means you must open your heart to allow forgiveness. Let God be the one who passes judgment.
And there is another aspect of the love that we are supposed to have in our hearts that makes things even more difficult. We are expected to love others without expecting anything in return. This is particularly tough for we Americans as we are capitalists and we naturally expect the things we do to generate a positive result. But God says no, we are supposed to love with no strings attach. And remember where Paul quotes the words of Jesus: "It is more blessed to give than receive" in Acts 20-35 (ESV). Giving for the sake of giving needs to be a part of the Christian experience.
Now having said all of this there is one little exercise you can start off with to help you get used to doing this. Here it is:
Once a week, carry out a little kindness toward someone you don't know well, or maybe not at all. It's just a little thing, but it gets you going and, after a little practice, you'll see that it is rewarding and you'll want to do more. How about inviting someone nearby who you really don't know to church? Or visit a nursing home and ask what you can do on occasion to visit with lonely residents? When you see someone stranded on the road, do you at least call the police to notify them that someone is having difficulty in the traffic? Some of us in this case might stop directly but depending on the hour and your circumstance the call might be better.
These are just a few simple examples. They are all little things but little things add up. There is no limit to what you can do. To help me with this, I carry a card in my pocket to remind me to do this. After several months, I find that my efforts have grown, I feel happier about life and myself, and I also feel closer to God. And that's the point, practice makes perfect. The more you practice your Christianity, through prayer, church, Bible reading and, yes, living as an example of Christ, the stronger you will be in your faith.
Think about it and pray on it. God wants us to represent him in all that we do. This is just one easy way to get some good practice. He'll know and you'll know He knows. You will be working for Him.
Have a wonderful day and remember, no matter how sad or gloomy you may feel, He will light your light and brighten your spirit if you only ask. God bless you all. Praise Him in your daily life through action.
We Christians, however, are tasked with living our life with kindness and love in a much broader way. Jesus expects us to love all of mankind, including those who don't love us. Some of those same people commit evil actions directed at us and appear to us to have hate for us in their hearts. So how do we live with kindness and love toward everyone? Well, what we have to do is open our hearts to the Spirit and let Him infect you with it. You don't have to love the actions that others take, but you are charged with loving the sinner who commits the sin. This means you must open your heart to allow forgiveness. Let God be the one who passes judgment.
And there is another aspect of the love that we are supposed to have in our hearts that makes things even more difficult. We are expected to love others without expecting anything in return. This is particularly tough for we Americans as we are capitalists and we naturally expect the things we do to generate a positive result. But God says no, we are supposed to love with no strings attach. And remember where Paul quotes the words of Jesus: "It is more blessed to give than receive" in Acts 20-35 (ESV). Giving for the sake of giving needs to be a part of the Christian experience.
Now having said all of this there is one little exercise you can start off with to help you get used to doing this. Here it is:
Once a week, carry out a little kindness toward someone you don't know well, or maybe not at all. It's just a little thing, but it gets you going and, after a little practice, you'll see that it is rewarding and you'll want to do more. How about inviting someone nearby who you really don't know to church? Or visit a nursing home and ask what you can do on occasion to visit with lonely residents? When you see someone stranded on the road, do you at least call the police to notify them that someone is having difficulty in the traffic? Some of us in this case might stop directly but depending on the hour and your circumstance the call might be better.
These are just a few simple examples. They are all little things but little things add up. There is no limit to what you can do. To help me with this, I carry a card in my pocket to remind me to do this. After several months, I find that my efforts have grown, I feel happier about life and myself, and I also feel closer to God. And that's the point, practice makes perfect. The more you practice your Christianity, through prayer, church, Bible reading and, yes, living as an example of Christ, the stronger you will be in your faith.
Think about it and pray on it. God wants us to represent him in all that we do. This is just one easy way to get some good practice. He'll know and you'll know He knows. You will be working for Him.
Have a wonderful day and remember, no matter how sad or gloomy you may feel, He will light your light and brighten your spirit if you only ask. God bless you all. Praise Him in your daily life through action.
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