We did this ginormous thing today where we went out in the community and loved on people who need it. We did a lot of different stuff from taking cookies to nursing home residents or flowers to the people who serve them. Pizza or pastries (not donuts... lol) to police stations... food to people who work at a hospital, we cleaned up parks. Why? because we love them (and the people in the community), and we're thankful to them for their sacrifice. We loved out loud.
I have to tell you, I'll be completely honest here. I didn't take what I'd call a mini-mission. Not because I didn't believe in what we did (because I do, I think it's great for people who love Christ to show His love), I didn't take a mission because I didn't need to. Oh, yeah, go ahead and say it, because I'll say it with you "Jerk".
I didn't need people to assign a task to me, to love on someone. But sometimes it's overwhelming when we want to help a whole hospital of staff and we can't by ourselves but our brothers and sisters in Christ come together and we are able to bless them (yes, the WHOLE hospital from the nurses to the switchboard) with some cookies or pizzas or a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
I think there are so many people that come in and out of our lives, even for a split second, that we can love on. We can buy someone's coffee who is scraping out their change or we can give the waitress an extra dollar tip because she's about to buy school supplies for her kids... or the car wash guy who is hungry and their is a line up of cars. Oh, and how about that junk you have in your basement or the 15 extra shirts/pants/shoes that you are saving to wear "someday", someone could wear them tomorrow.
I think about Grace Centers of Hope that is raising pennies for their new daycare they are going to open. 30 Millions pennies. That's a lot of pennies. But that means that those children who go their will be safe, and fed, and loved, loved by someone who knows and unashamedly loves Jesus and will pass it on. I've raised about 1000 at my desk already...
We live in a country that has more than enough. MORE THAN ENOUGH I tell you, and most of us have WAY more than enough. Give some. Give some of your time, your money, your stuff, your love. Sometimes I think about how selfish I am, I could give more, and sometimes I just don't. I use the excuse, I give enough. But how much is enough, are we measuring our 'enough' is there an enough ruler or an enough scale. When is enough really ENOUGH?
I'll tell you when enough is enough... when every last person knows Jesus, and not only knows Him, but when they LOVE Him. When there aren't any more to be touched by what God did for us...
That's when enough is enough. Now, go love someone!
James 2:14-26
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"[e] and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
I have to tell you, I'll be completely honest here. I didn't take what I'd call a mini-mission. Not because I didn't believe in what we did (because I do, I think it's great for people who love Christ to show His love), I didn't take a mission because I didn't need to. Oh, yeah, go ahead and say it, because I'll say it with you "Jerk".
I didn't need people to assign a task to me, to love on someone. But sometimes it's overwhelming when we want to help a whole hospital of staff and we can't by ourselves but our brothers and sisters in Christ come together and we are able to bless them (yes, the WHOLE hospital from the nurses to the switchboard) with some cookies or pizzas or a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
I think there are so many people that come in and out of our lives, even for a split second, that we can love on. We can buy someone's coffee who is scraping out their change or we can give the waitress an extra dollar tip because she's about to buy school supplies for her kids... or the car wash guy who is hungry and their is a line up of cars. Oh, and how about that junk you have in your basement or the 15 extra shirts/pants/shoes that you are saving to wear "someday", someone could wear them tomorrow.
I think about Grace Centers of Hope that is raising pennies for their new daycare they are going to open. 30 Millions pennies. That's a lot of pennies. But that means that those children who go their will be safe, and fed, and loved, loved by someone who knows and unashamedly loves Jesus and will pass it on. I've raised about 1000 at my desk already...
We live in a country that has more than enough. MORE THAN ENOUGH I tell you, and most of us have WAY more than enough. Give some. Give some of your time, your money, your stuff, your love. Sometimes I think about how selfish I am, I could give more, and sometimes I just don't. I use the excuse, I give enough. But how much is enough, are we measuring our 'enough' is there an enough ruler or an enough scale. When is enough really ENOUGH?
I'll tell you when enough is enough... when every last person knows Jesus, and not only knows Him, but when they LOVE Him. When there aren't any more to be touched by what God did for us...
That's when enough is enough. Now, go love someone!
James 2:14-26
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"[e] and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
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