How willing are you to help someone in need? Are you willing to step in and lend a helping hand when there is a task to be done? Will you help those suffering from a disaster? Are you willing to mentor someone facing challenges?
Most of us are willing to help family and friends. We help them move their household from one location to another. We will provide financial assistance when they are in need. We encourage them when they struggle. We lend a helping hand when there is a need.
But what are we willing to do for people we don’t know? Our typical response is to donate money or items to disaster relief organizations. We contribute money to various assistance organizations. We rely on government assistance offices. We may even give blood. But read today’s passage. What service are we performing?
There is nothing wrong with contributing financially. For some of us, that may be all we are capable of doing. But for many of us, we contribute financially because we don’t want to mingle with people we don’t know and may even look down upon. We don’t want to get our hands dirty. We say we don’t have time. And…we lie to ourselves.
We make time for our priorities. Our priorities should be the same as the Lord’s. His priority is that we love one another, which includes serving one another. Not just family and friends, but all God’s children. Opportunities to help those in need come in many forms. There is a plethora of needs.
When the love of God invades and inhabits our hearts, we are eager to help others. We are to be especially eager to help those in the family of God but be also eager to help everyone. When we are serving one another, we are following Jesus’ example.
I pray we all are eager to help those in need. I pray we are willing to get our hands dirty. I pray each one of us will make it a priority and make time to be in service to others. Be eager to help. Make helping a priority. Take time to help. Look for opportunities to help. Follow Jesus’ example of serving.
2 Corinthians 9:1-2 There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord’s people. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.
Marty Pressey 