For Others

A young boy was sent to the corner store by his mother to buy a loaf of bread. He was gone much longer than it should have taken him. When he finally returned, his mother asked, “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you.”

“Well,” he answered, “ there was a little boy with a broken bike who was crying. So I stopped to help him.”

“I didn’t know you knew anything about fixing bikes,” his mother said.

“I don’t,” he replied. “I just stayed there and cried with him.

A sweet story...  but I can already hear you shouting into your computer...

“Crying doesn’t help that kid get his bike fixed!”

“Was it worth worrying his mom just to make somebody feel better?”

“I would have done..... “

“That kid should have....”

I know. Our tendency is to read a story like this and think how it could have been handled better.  Maybe it’s our desire to be problem-solvers.  Perhaps it’s because at the pace of our day, we aren’t able to appreciate just stopping to empathize.  It could be that we don’t see the point of crying... 

Whatever the case, God has a verse written just for us as to how we are to react when we hear the story of or are brought into another’s situation.  

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”  Romans 12:15

Today’s verse from Romans tells how to react when we hear news...both good and bad.      God says that we are to celebrate when somebody else is celebrating and cry with them when they are hurting.  Easier said than done.

When people around you are full of joy and loving life, what is your first reaction?  Go ahead... be honest.  You’re the only one that knows that answer.  I think some people genuinely love to see others happy... And some don’t.  In fact, when they see people celebrating they look for ways to sabotage it.  Maybe it’s feeling overwhelming jealousy, or sharing the “real reason” they got it, or putting on a bad mood so that the attention is brought to them.  Whatever the case, God wants us to return the high-five, put on the party hat, and with a genuine spirit of joy... join in the laughter.  If they are being showered with blessings... run in the rain with them!  Life is too short to experience only your own happiness.  

And if they are saddened, disheartened, feeling overcome or beaten up... cry with them.  Scripture tells us to mourn with those who are mourning.  This doesn’t mean a para-sympathetic tap on the shoulder with an obligatory “it’ll be ok”  God’s telling us to imagine ourselves in their shoes.  I’m talking a feel it WITH them type of reaction.  I know what you might be thinking... Pastor, I have enough troubles of my own.. I can’t take on the pain of others.  

Being a Christ-follower means we are to live each day trying to be more like Him.  The reason He came to Earth was to save us and make sure we knew that He understands.  He’s felt every pain, endured every heartbreak, and taken on every struggle.   If we are going to be more Christ-like... we have to do what He did...and love the people He loves.

Jesus Christ knows how bad it hurts.  He is intimately involved with every circumstance and records every tear.  We need to do our very best to be like that too...  

Get involved.  Get your hands-dirty.  Walk two miles in their shoes.  Share a box of tissues with those that are broken.  Don’t shy away from others’ pain... because one day, you’ll need them and the comfort that comes from the hug of a close friend.   

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”  Romans 12:15

This verse isn’t just a way to make others feel good... it’s the roadmap to our growth in Christ. 

In the Bucket

Fisherman know that when they go out to sea to catch different types of crabs, they don’t need to put a lid on their capture bucket.   Why?  Because once they’re caught... crabs never try to escape.  Not because they are unable to.. but because when one tries, the others drag him back down.  It’s what is called the “crab mentality.”  If we all can’t escape... nobody can.  

Sadly, some people are the same way.  They just can’t stand to see others happy.  If they can’t be filled with joy... neither can you.  If they can’t succeed... they’re keeping you down there with them.  The Bible tells us in Philippians 2:3 to do nothing selfishly... but consider other people as better than ourselves.  Want a cure for the “crab mentality?”   Resist the urge to keep them in the bucket... instead encourage their growth, cheer them on when they win, and help them over the hurdles of life.  God will bless your selflessness.  

Neighbors

NEIGHBORS (Thursday's Devotional)

Others.  Our neighbors.  Those that God has placed in our path.  Life is all about them.  The Bible tells us that we are put on this earth to serve them… to love them… to forgive them.  

But the gravity of the flesh pulls us in the opposite direction doesn’t it?

We make decisions based on how it ultimately affects us.  What we wear… what we lend… what time we give… all skewed by how that decision is beneficial to our own agenda.  Why is living for others so difficult?  Does God really tell us that our whole purpose in life is to abandon self and embrace serving those around us?

Let’s take a look…

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”  Galatians 5:13

“And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:42-45

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.”  1 Cor. 4:1-2

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,”  Matthew 20:26

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 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. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ...” Philippians 2:1-30

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”  John 12:26

“Jesus replied, ‘The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.’”  Mark 12: 29-31


We are here with a purpose.
We all have gifts.

Our gifts are not for us.
They are to serve others.

Serving His people is what we were created to do.  Loving on the lonely... reaching out to the hurting... serving those that are seeking Christ.  

The road to our God potential leads us through the valley of selflessness... putting others first... sacrificing so that people we may not even know can come face-to-face with a Savior who sacrificed everything on their behalf.

And we get to do that.

We get to be servants.

Notice what I said there… we GET to be servants.  God allows us to care for His people.  Those you encounter today are no accident.  Even the challenging ones…  Every single person you meet today is intentional.

Serve them.  Not with selfish motives…. but with a heart filled with Christ’s love.

I can hear you saying to your computer… but Pastor… who’s loving me?  Who’s taking care of me?  If I don’t look out for myself nobody will!   I hear you.  But I also know that even when the world seems to turn its back on you, Christ doesn’t.   HE will take care of you.  HE will provide for your needs.  HE will never let you break under the strain or buckle under the weight.  HE is always there always.  Even when you don’t feel Him, sense Him, or believe He’s there.  He IS there.  He is determined to provide for and love on you.  It’s His heart.  It is why He came to begin with.  Let Him take care of you while you take care of those He has put in your path.

If you are a Christ-follower… it’s part of your calling.

Resist the urge to dismiss today’s devotional as wishful thinking.  It wasn’t written for someone else.  It’s for you.  And it’s for me.  Remember, putting ourselves behind others and serving them may be perceived by the world as weakness… but it is a strength in the eyes of Jesus.  And He’s the only one that matters.

First

James 3:13-16 “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.”

I once heard the story of two men describing a third... “Let me describe him for you,” one of them said... “He’s the kind of guy who follows you into a revolving door and comes out ahead of you... that’s selfish ambition!”

Ever met someone who’s selfish?   A person who lives with a “me first” attitude all the time?    In James 3, the Bible tells us that where there is selfish ambition, there is disorder and evil.   Self-serving people have the wrong priorities... they put themselves above others and disregard Christ’s call to be a servant.  And the evil that the passage describes?  It’s pride.  Self-centeredness.  And scripture tells us that God sets Himself against those that possess that trait.   The antidote to the poison of selfishness?  Generosity, humility, and servanthood... Let’s get out there today and show the world the love of Christ by not living “me first” but “you first”...  Selflessness like that could change the world!

Cheering Others On

Fishermen know that when they go out to sea to catch different types of crabs, they don’t need to put a lid on their capture bucket.   Why?  Because once they’re caught... crabs never try to escape.  Not because they are unable to.. but because when one tries, the others drag him back down.  It’s what is called the “crab mentality.”  If we all can’t escape... nobody can.  

Sadly, some people are the same way.  They just can’t stand to see others happy.  If they can’t be filled with joy... neither can you.  If they can’t succeed... they’re keeping you down there with them.  The Bible tells us in Philippians 2:3 to do nothing selfishly... but consider other people as better than ourselves.  Want a cure for the “crab mentality?”   Resist the urge to keep them in the bucket... instead encourage their growth, cheer them on when they win, and help them over the hurdles of life.  God will bless your selflessness.