| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Personal Responsibility” Our Bible verse for today: “In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 (CSB) Our thought for today: “It’s like having a spiritual sweet tooth” Do you like Twinkies? I like Twinkies. I also like donuts, cake, cookies, and ice cream. In fact, my appetite for those things is so strong that I have to discipline myself or I will consume way too much. I have a sweet tooth, and the more sweets I have, the more I want. For me, sweets are addictive. I like them so much and find them so satisfying that I could easily get in the habit of consuming them all the time. Blessing others is like that too – it’s addictive. The more you do it the better it feels, and then the more you want to do it. It’s kind of like a having a spiritual sweet tooth. For more than twenty-five years, as a Pastor and as a mission team leader, I’ve had the privilege of leading groups of Christians to participate in a wide range of service projects and mission trips. Those activities have spanned the spectrum from simple acts of service caring for church members in need, to projects in our community like helping at the local homeless shelter, to short-term mission trips to places like the coal-mining region of eastern Kentucky, to multiple international mission trips to remote locations like the Amazon Jungle. One comment I’ve heard over and over again, from hundreds of Christians involved in a wide range of service and mission activities is, “I received the bigger blessing”. No matter how big the sacrifice they made to be a blessing to the other person, the giver ended up feeling like the blessing they received was better than the blessing they gave. That’s what the Apostle Paul was referring to in Acts 30:35 (above) when he quoted the words of Jesus, and it’s what my friend from yesterday’s devotional was referring to as well. “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.” Blessing others is addictive because it feels so good. It helps you realize that the practice of your faith is making a real difference not only in your own life, but in the lives of other people too. That just feels good – and it makes you want to do more of it. It’s like having a spiritual sweet tooth. I encourage you to get in the habit of blessing others. The more you do it, the more you will want to do it. It’s addictive, and therefore, habit forming. It really is more blessed to give than to receive. Try it and see. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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