So often I am faced with a situation where I get to pray for another. As we enter into the trinity of holidays, with Thanksgiving and turkeys, family and friends, I felt the Lord saying, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” Matthew 25:39-41

I was reminded of the story Jesus shares about the good Samaritan and his aid to an injured man.

And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.” (Luke 10:30-37)

So often, I personally get “caught” up in busyness and while I feel no condemnation about missing an opportunity, I wonder what I have missed.Yesterday while praying for others and thanking God for all the cool and exciting things going on, I was confronted with a part of my thinking. I was thankful for friends and family and all the good that was happening, but as I sat there praying about “what I needed” (Meaning a job! Tina’s recent job loss has increased my action, but nothing has materialized.) I asked the perhaps “dumb” question, “what about me?” I heard instantly and clearly, “I am holding you back.” At that point all energy left my being. I did not know what to say next.

And with that I felt myself begin to wonder “what is the next step?” I went in to tell my wife what I had heard with the promise to continue a daily job search. I sent an email to a friend with “your thoughts?” (His response was “if He is holding you back in this area, what area is He promoting you in?”)

I think I got a glimmer of what Gideon felt. Of what others throughout the scripture felt when God gave them something totally the opposite of what they expected. God’s answer often puts us into that freefall that has the ability to take your breath away. It is one thing to watch someone receive a word and think that is awesome. It is another to realize just how much life changes for one. Trust is not always easy but is there any other way?

The last few days I have been “confronted” with some simple thoughts.

Stewardship-For some reason this has been on the forefront of my thinking the last couple of weeks. Many weeks ago I was in a service with a friend and I heard a friend say this, “what we do not care for may simply just go away.” I thought “what we do not care for may not be there the next time.” God is moving on people to steward. It may not begin as big as you think. It may begin as a trickle. But a trickle often turns into a flood!

Love-If the “greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13) Love appears as an eternal entity or action, but more importantly God is love.  How we move in God is important. How we receive, how we give. It is a forever thing!

Others-(I posted a partial list below.)Our approach to others is important. God created His people for love and community. Not once or twice a year, but on a regular basis. We need one another. People get better when people get better. That happens in community and fellowship. (I believe even as you read this, God has put a person on your heart He desires you to reach out to.)

Stewardship Loves Others!

Folks-without Jesus, I could not think about others , about love or about taking care of anything. His love, first towards me and then expressed through me has been my walk.

I said this morning, “Is it possible that much of the problems we face as a nation are because we evacuated our place as the sons of God, by not being the kings and priests we were called to be?” Our empowerment to be all we can be was done at the cross through the person of Christ. It tells us in the person of Christ is found truth and grace.

We are in a season where God is touching hearts. It is a season of cheering on our friends! (It is so much better than football, I just can’t tell you! J ) Let us show the world how good our God really is. Let us move in love and power and demonstrations of kindness!

Listing of verse references to the Greek word ALLELOUS, translated “one another” or “each other”)

“Be at peace with each other” (Mk. 9:50)
“Wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14)
“Love one another” (John 13:34, & 12 other references)
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” (Rom. 12:10)
“Honor one another above yourselves” (Rom. 12:10)
“Live in harmony with one another” (Rom. 12:10)
“Stop passing judgment on one another” (Rom. 14:13)
“Instruct one another” (Rom. 15:14)
“Accept one another, as Christ accepted you” (Rom. 15:17)
“Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Rom. 16:16, 1 Cor. 6:20 and 2 Cor. 13:12)
“When you come together to eat, wait for each other” (1 Cor. 11:33)
“Have equal concern for each other” (1 Cor. 12:25)
“Serve one another in love” (Gal. 5:13)
“If you keep on biting and devouring each other.you will be destroyed by each other” (Gal. 5:15)
“Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (Gal. 5:26)
“Carry each other’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2)
“Be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4:2)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another” (Eph. 4:32)
“Forgiving each other as God in Christ has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32)
“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19)
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph.5:21)
“In humility, consider others better than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3)
“Do not lie to each other” (Col. 3:9)
“Bear with each other” (Col. 3:13)
“Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another” (Col. 3:16)
“Teach one another” (Col. 3:16)
“Admonish one another” (Col. 3:16)
“Make your love increase and overflow for each other” (1 Thess. 3:12)
“Encourage one another” (1 Thess. 4:18, and 5:11)
“Build each other up” (1 Thess. 5:11)
“Encourage one another daily” (Heb. 3:13 and 10:25)
“Spur one another on to love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24)
“Do not slander one another” (Js. 4:11)
“Don’t grumble against each other” (Js. 5:9)
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (Js. 5:16)
“Love one another deeply from the heart” (1 Pet. 1:22 & 4:8)
“Live in harmony with each other” (1 Pet. 3:8)
“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1Pet. 4:9)
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others” (1 Pet. 4:10)
“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another” (1 Pet. 5:5)
“Greet each other with a kiss of love” (1 Pet. 5:14)