None of us lives to himself…
—Romans 14:7
{CHAMBERS} “Has it ever
dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people? […]
“If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it…” (1 Corinthians 12:26).
If you allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity, or
spiritual weakness, everyone in contact with you will suffer. But you ask, “Who
is sufficient to be able to live up to such a lofty standard?” “Our sufficiency
is from God…” and God alone (2 Corinthians 3:5). “You shall be witnesses to
Me…” (Acts 1:8). How many of us are willing to spend every bit of our nervous,
mental, moral, and spiritual energy for Jesus Christ? […] Why has God left us
on the earth? Is it simply to be saved and sanctified? No, it is to be at work
in service to Him. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for Him?
Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose
and one alone— to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ.”
{ELGIN} In our work, we
interact with people who are struggling with the aftermath of a natural
disaster. But, that is not the only
thing that is going on with their lives.
Before the disaster, they had other life struggles which are only compounded
in their intensity by the disaster. That
being said, sometimes the people we meet are difficult to be around. Ever met
someone like that? Sure you have. As you are talking to them, you are thinking,
“How can I distance myself from this person?”
So let’s step out of the
thought for a moment. Why are we
here? God sent us. Why did He send us? Because people who can’t
help themselves need help and hope. Can
anything God sends us to do be accomplished on our own? No. Never. Would He bring
us into contact with people who are difficult to be around? Of course.
So where did the “How can I
distance myself from this person?” thought come from? Answer .. my flesh. I recently talked with a woman .. single mom
.. whose life is a mess .. her son is autistic, suffers with Kleine-Levin
Syndrome (KLS), and several other maladies.
Her life before the storm was very difficult. The local church rejected
her because of her son. And her
personality is one that makes people uncomfortable, without her son factored in. Her house is a mess. So as I listen to her, I am thinking of the
verse that the Lord gave us … well actually all of us … but Martie and me specifically
for this work … (Galatians 6:2) “Bear one another’s burdens and thus fulfill
the law of Christ.” What is the law of
Christ? According to Dr. John McArthur, “When
Paul suggests that burden-bearing “fulfill[s] the law of Christ,” he makes it
clear that he has the whole moral law in view. Every act of compassion and
self-sacrifice on behalf of our brethren is a practical means of displaying the
love of Christ and thereby fulfilling the moral demands of His law. But the
apostle clearly has in mind spiritual, emotional, and temperamental
encumbrances — not physical freight only. The burdens we need to help carry for
one another include guilt, worry, sorrow, anxiety, and all other similar loads.
Do you want to fulfill the moral requirements of the Law? Love your neighbor.
How do you love him? By bearing his burdens.”
Serving others is not easy ..
it requires sacrifice .. not worrying about yourself and your comfort. But, that is where we will go if we are not
careful. We will not want to feel
uncomfortable. We will want to experience
happy times with others .. but it’s in the valleys that they need to see Jesus
in us. The question is .. are you ready
to serve. I hope the answer is yes. Just don’t forget that it’s “'Not by might
nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6) So the next time you find yourself in a similar
situation, don’t ask “Lord, how do I get out of this.” But rather, “Lord what
would You have me say or do? Lord be glorified.”
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