SHARING WITH OTHERS – AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE AND LOVE
BIBLE PASSAGE:
“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled,
the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they
cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of
the righteous.”
(Luke 14:13-14)
MEDITATION:
Do you keep a ledger of good deeds? In other words, when you do
something for someone else, do you keep a “mental balance sheet”
of when they return the favor and do something good for you?
The world teaches us to always expect a return on our investments.
We invest in the stock market in hopes of gaining a return. We send
gifts to clients in hopes of gaining more business. Sometimes we do
a favor for a friend in hopes they will do something for us. If we aren’t
careful, we can develop a “What’s in it for me?” mentality.
Is that what the scriptures teach us? The verse above tells us to invest
in others with no hope or expectations of a return. Jesus tells us to do
good without thinking about how it will benefit us in the future. In fact,
He tells us to show hospitality to those who cannot return the favor. Are
we really showing hospitality if we are expecting something in return?
So, the question we might have is,
How do we benefit from doing good deeds with no expectations of
someone returning the favor (and especially no expectations from
those who can’t return the favor because they don’t have the skills,
knowledge or finances)?
God’s Word says that when we do good deeds to those who aren’t
capable of returning our deeds, although we might think we won’t
benefit from our efforts, we will be rewarded at the resurrection.
Doesn’t it just make sense that God’s reward for our efforts would
be much greater than anything another person could give us?
Until we are resurrected, we should do good to others – not because
of what they may be able to do for us, but simply because when we
are adopted members of God’s family, we are expected to do good
to others.
So in everything, do to others what you would
have them do to you, for this sums up the Law
and the Prophets.
(Matthew 7:12)
This verse in Matthew doesn’t say,
So, in everything, do to others what you expect them to do to you.
it says,
So, in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.
That means that if we would like someone to do something special
for us with no expectations of anything in return, then that’s what
we should do for others. If we want someone to pray for us when
we are having issues, then we need to pray for others who are having
problems. If we want someone to check on us when we are hurting
or have a sickness, then we need to check on others who are hurting
or sick.
The list could go on and on, but the scriptures are focusing on our
attitudes, words and actions. We are encouraged to become selfless,
instead of selfish. If we are true followers of Jesus, then we should
prove it by having a selfless attitude like His.
We should ask ourselves these questions,
– When was the last time I checked on someone
who was having physical or emotional problems?
– Do I check on others once, and mark it off my task list,
or do I touch base with them frequently so they can be
sure someone cares about them and their needs?
– Do I check my mental inventory to compare the number
of times they have checked on me, or do I touch base with
them because I sincerely care about them and their welfare?
– Am I selfish to the point that I assume someone else will
check on a person who is sick and in need, or has God
convicted me that I’m the one who should check on them?
– How do I justify not looking for opportunities
to encourage or be helpful to someone else?
– Can I think of anyone who does for me
what I should be doing for others?
God has blessed each of us with certain abilities. When is the last time you
have used your skills to help another person or friend with no expectations
of them returning the favor? We can use our physical skills or knowledge
for free, even though customers would pay us well if we did the same thing
for them.
Why would we do something that takes up our time without being paid for
our services? We do it because it is an act of love from a caring friend who
is obeying what God expects of those who belong to Him.
As an example, the tree in our front yard had a huge limb that broke off.
When we looked out to see who was using the chain saw, we found that
our neighbors and a good friend were sawing it, putting the pieces out
for trash pickup and raking up the wood chips. We weren’t aware of
their actions until we heard a chain saw nearby.
This is exactly the attitude God wants us to have toward others. This
benevolent group saw a need and acted on it without feeling the need
to let us know. They were trying to finish and be gone before we saw
what they had done. That’s the kind of ‘love’ action the scriptures are
talking about.
ACTION:
We need to be obedient to God’s Word by looking for opportunities to
do things for others without any expectations from them. We should
think of our good deeds as acts of obedience to the Lord’s command to
members of His family. When we have the right attitude, the scriptures
tell us we will be rewarded at the resurrection, so we don’t have a need
for earthly rewards for our actions, do we?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for the characteristics of Jesus
that I have not made a part of my own life. Teach me to have
an outward focus, instead of an inward one. Help me to trade
my selfishness for selflessness and show me how I can look for
opportunities to influence others in a positive way through my
words and actions. Show me the joy that can be found whenever
I reach out to help and encourage others. Thank You for how
You reached out to me when I was sinful and undeserving of
Your grace and mercy toward me. Thank You for how You’ve
shown me my need for Your salvation that will cause me to be
a faithful follower of Jesus with a desire to be more like Him!”
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