Today’s post is on becoming more Christ like by following
his example in serving others!! Christ loved, served, and cared about the needs
of people during his ministry here on earth! God almighty, the creator of all,
God on high who reigns over heaven and the earth; made it a priority to care
for and serve others! If the Lord made it a point to take the time to serve
others and make a difference in others lives; how much more should we be moved
to go out of our way to serve the community around us!
Photo by http://shopwalkinlove.com/
Matthew 20:28 “ Even as the Son Of Man came not to be
served but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.”
Jesus has a servant’s heart! There are countless examples of
his loving actions, acts of service to others; all with the same goal to point
others to salvation.
Check out these amazing verses in scripture that reveal to
us the servants heart of our Lord!
*Jesus made meaningful physical connections*
John 13:12-14 “When he had washed their feet and put on his
outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what
I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I
am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to
wash one another's feet”.
Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, never acted
too high up to help someone in need! He is SOO righteous, and yet during his ministry
on earth he was always willing to come down to the level of even the lowliest
of people and change their lives with the message of his love! Jesus Christ the
Son of God knelt down and washed the filthy feet of his disciples! They should
have been washing his and yet he took it upon himself to teach them that
serving others is how you serve God best!
Matthew 8:2-3“And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said,
"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Jesus stretched out His hand and touched
him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy
was cleansed. “
He healed a leper with one touch! He reached
out, touched the leper and healed him. Can you imagine the impact that physical
connection would have had on that man! At that time period Lepers were the so
called ‘untouchables’ of society. They had to live outside of the camp away
from everyone else and when anyone got to close they had to yell “unclean” to
ensure everyone knew of their condition. This man had undoubtedly not felt the
embrace of human arms for years. Jesus who could very well have just spoken the
words and healed him instead reached out and touched the man! Not only did he
heal him of his disease but he healed his brokenness and his loneliness all with
one act of love!
Jesus made appropriate meaningful physical
connections with others! He served others by showing them how much they meant
to him in a physical way. We to can do this; think about someone who may not be
getting valuable physical connection from others and make it a point to bless
them in this way. Don’t let people slip through the cracks.
An example from my own experience; has been
making physical connection with my Nana. My Grandfather died years ago and she
now lives alone. I know she misses him
the hugs, the laughs, having her hand held now that she lives by herself. When
I think about my living situation and how
many times a day I hug my mom good bye as I am leaving the house or smile as I
pass her in the halls it makes me think of how much people who live alone miss
out on meaningful physical touch; my Nana included. Having realized that; I try to make it a priority to show her physical affection that she might be missing. I
will sit close to her on the couch and watch her favorite shows, reach out and
touch her hand, plan special dates to come over and brush and style her hair!
All the little things add up and they communicate to her how much I LOVE and
value her!
Maybe
this week we can all make it a priority to hug a friend, give a loved one a
neck massage, visit a widow or divorcee, shake hands with a new person, embrace
a child, put your arm around a friend who is sitting alone and invite them over
to hang out with the rest of the group, be a shoulder for someone to cry on, or
any other idea that comes to mind to show someone they are truly special and
convey to them the love of Christ by showing them our love in an appropriate
physical way!
*He spoke words of encouragement*
John 16:33 “I have told
you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus spoke words of encouragement to his disciples! He spurred
them forward and spoke to them words of affirmation! We should also encourage
others! Speak words of love, affirmation, and encouragement to all the people
we meet!
Let’s all go out of
our way to bless others! Encourage
someone who has experienced a failure, compliment someone for something they do
well, speak truth to a friend who is experiencing a difficult situation, say
something kind to someone to encourage them and make their day!!
Matthew 14:14-21 “When
Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As
evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote
place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to
the villages and buy themselves some food.”Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the
five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke
the loaves. Then he gave
them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were
satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that
were left over. The number of those who ate was
about five thousand men, besides women and children.”
If someone has a need that you are capable of meeting; meet
it! Buy someone who is less fortunate a meal, donate school supplies to a local
school, help an elderly person with their yard work, or help a sibling do their
homework!
*He had an open heart to others*
Matthew 19:14 “Jesus
said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the
kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Serving others doesn't have to be a direct action it can be
an attitude! Be a person who is available to others! Be there for people,
listen to a friend and open your arms to others as Jesus did here!
Jesus did so many amazing things during his ministry here
on earth! As believers of Jesus Christ we are now filled with his spirit and
that means that we can continue his ministry while he Reigns in heaven. We can best serve God by serving others! Be
the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in your community. Let the light of God’s
love shine so bright from within you that it causes people to take notice; to
question what it is that makes you so different. That opens the door for you to
share the answer with them! Jesus Christ! You can share with others that what
makes you so different is your salvation and that you have been made new in the
image of Jesus Christ through his saving grace!
Shine bright showing Gods love in your actions, attitude,
and all you do!! Share the love of Christ everywhere you go by communicating
love to others through your actions. Think of something you can do today to
shine the love of Christ into the lives of others!
Action steps
1) Commit to serving God by serving others.
2) Take up a Christ like attitude and live life with a
servant’s heart.
3) Be consistent in your actions, attitude, and demeanor to
shine Gods love everywhere you Go!
Thanks for reading friends and check back tomorrow for the next character quality post on living with purpose! The BH Beauty post is up for you to check out http://brookehoffmanbeauty.blogspot.com/
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