Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “A prosperous life”
Our Bible verse for today: “Now when Job’s three friends – Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shumite, and Zophar the Naamathite – heard about all this adversity that had happened to him, each of them came from his home. They met together to go and offer sympathy and comfort to him. When they looked from a distance, they could barely recognize him. They wept aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust into the air and on his head. Then they sat on the ground with him seven days and nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was great.” Job 2:11-13 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Improve your own life by helping others to improve theirs.”
In Biblical history Job’s three friends are remembered primarily for the fact that they ended up being very judgmental and critical of Job during a time when he was experiencing tremendous adversity in life. But it didn’t start out that way. Initially their response was very good. They were genuinely grieved for their friend and they attempted to comfort him by simply entering into his grief with him. They engaged in what we call “The ministry of presence.” They blessed him by simply being with him.
Being there for other people when they need you is actually a key element in living a prosperous life. This has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with a feeling of fulfillment and purpose. When we help others we feel good about ourselves. Intuitively we know that helping others is the right thing to do. When we do it, in addition to blessing the other person, we end up feeling good about ourselves because we realize we have done something meaningful.
Biblically, helping others in need has a two-fold purpose. First, it meets real needs in the lives of other people. The primary way that God cares for people is by bringing other caring individuals into that person’s life to act as the conduit through which the blessings of God flow. This is how needs get met.
But as I have already mentioned, another purpose behind helping others in need is that in doing so, you help yourself. You gain a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment and you end up feeling better for it. Psychologists will tell you that one of the best therapies for a troubled person is for them to go out and engage in acts of kindness to those in greater need than themselves. When they do that they are taking their eyes off of themselves and their own problems, and focusing on other people instead. Invariably in the process they will end up feeling better about themselves in the long run, and the overall quality of their own life will have improved a bit.
Helping others is one of the best ways to improve the overall quality of your own life. It makes you feel good. This Sunday night at Oak Hill Baptist Church we will hold our evening service at the Bread of Life Rescue Mission on 4th street in Crossville. We will conduct the service at 5:00 and we will prepare and serve the evening meal at 6:00. We would love to have you join us in this act of service to those who are down and out and struggling to get back on their feet. Your participation will be a blessing to both them and to yourself.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 