“Our
mission is to live our lives everyday,
So
that, others can see Christ living in us.”
I
have a friend who has been a pastor for 15 years.
In that time he has spent countless hours in giving of himself to
others. After a series of
problems related to his ministry in the church, he decided to resign from the
church and take another better paying job to meet his financial needs.
Since leaving the ministry a year and a half ago, he said that only
three people called to see how he was doing.
Where were all those people who he had ministered to through the years?
Where were all those pastor friends who gave the impression that they
cared? He said that many
people might say they love you, but when it comes time for you to receive
love, you will find out who really loves you.
What if nobody called for you? What
if nobody came? What if nobody gave? What
if nobody cared? What would I do? How
would I feel if I were in his shoes? Why
should we care? What is the right
way? Remember what Jesus said.
Scripture
Text:
John 15:11 (KJV) “These things have I spoken
unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends.”
Jesus
Cares?
There
is really only one way for us to keep from having a daily pity party for
ourselves. We must be reminded
that someone does care. Someone
did come for you. Someone did
love you enough to die for you. His
name is Jesus. He gave the
greater love and now he shows us that we need to give the greater love.
If we stop giving the love then we will stop enjoying the life that
Christ has given us. This is what
tends to happen to all of us. If
you feel yourself getting into the self-pity mood, don’t linger there too
long. Get out by giving yourself
to someone else. Then you can
continue to enjoy the abundant life that Jesus gives.
There is secret joy in the giving not the getting.
1.
We give the impression that we love, but do we really?
This week began the spring gobbler-hunting season.
The hunter goes into the woods and lures a gobbling turkey close enough
to harvest. The first day that I
went I found this turkey who gave me the impression that he was really
interest in me. But, when it came
down to making a commitment he wasn’t about to.
He went gobbling and running right down the road away from my location
in the woods. His actions spoke
much louder than his words.
Are
we guilty of giving the impression that we love and not actually showing and
giving our love to others? If we
are giving then it will cost. Are
you willing to pay? The proof is
in the pudding. Jesus gave us the
proof that he loves us. He laid
down his life.
2.
Will we give into Jesus’ love for us?
If
we aren’t living with the Lord, then are we missing what we could have?
Is it possible to be living in sin and be a Christian at the same time?
Do we love others the way the Lord loves us?
Will we love others the way the Lord loves us? When we are unwilling to
be who the Lord wants us to be then we are living in sin.
3.
Will we enjoy our life in Christ?
A Coal miner told me that he believed that the people of the world who
he knew seemed to be much happier than those who are of the church.
He said that those in the world don’t seem to have a care and that
they were overall much more satisfied. Love,
give, and receive his joy.