Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “The fear of not having enough”
Our Bible verse for today: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Love is a verb”
Of all the lessons we will learn in our study of finding freedom from the fear of not having enough, one of the most important is the lesson we began to consider yesterday, “If God gives you more than you already have what will you do with it?” That question certainly pertains to money and material possessions, but it also pertains to everything else in life, including talents, abilities, skills, education, job, health, and virtually anything else. If God acts on your behalf to improve your situation in this area how will you use the blessing? Will it be exclusively for your own benefit, or will you also use it for kingdom purposes and to bless others?
In yesterday’s study we read about Jesus urging us to engage in acts of mercy and compassion towards those in need. He stressed that such actions on our part are so important to Him that when we do them, He considers it as having been done directly for Him personally. In today’s passage we read of Him urging us to love others. He is certainly talking about loving other Christians, but yesterday’s passage in Matthew 25:40 helped us to understand that His concern is for all people, not just for Christians. We also learned yesterday that God is looking for us to stop focusing so much on ourselves and on our own issues, and to focus instead on blessing others.
It is often said that love is a verb. It is an action word. More than being an emotion you feel, it is a decision you make and an action you take. You can take an action to express love whether you feel like it or not – simply because you know it is the right thing to do. This is love in action and it is what Jesus calls for from us. When it comes to blessing others in need Jesus doesn’t tell us to do it if we feel like it, He simply tells us to do it.
This is a key element in finding freedom from the fear of not having enough. Take your eyes off of yourself and focus instead on blessing others. When you do that you discover that your own problems and issues fade into the background and in many cases, God simply resolves them for you, quietly, while you were focused on blessing others in His name. Jack Alexander writes, “The more we love, the less our circumstances can be driven by fear and isolation.” And, “There is no limit to what God can provide when we let go and love with everything we have.”
Amen. Stop worrying so much about your own issues and the things you don’t have. Just go out and help others, bless others, and trust that God has your back. Here’s a promise from Scripture to take with you into the day:
“For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 