What if, instead of having an agenda to save someone, our agenda was simply to bless people. Afterall, if you think about it, we can't save anyone, only Jesus does that.
I think this come down to trust. Do we trust God enough to free us up to simply strive to be a blessing to people so that the rest is up to him? We often believe we have to do all the work. When we think and act out of that, we're not trusting God's Spirit to do any of the work. And I promise, He's better at saving people than we are.
Instead of leaving a terrible tip when you get bad service at a restaurant, leave a note that says "It seems like you're having a rough day, I hope this extra tip blesses you" along with a generous tip.
Instead of paying for just your own food in the drive through, how about paying for the food of the people behind you without any strings attached - no note, no message, just the blessing.
Instead of assuming a homeless person who asks you for food is a bum who doesn't want to work, how about offering to take them to lunch to feed them and sitting down to listen to their story.
Instead of returning anger with a harsh word, what if you actually started talking softer and apologized and walked away if you needed to.
Being a blessing is about getting out of the "tit for tat" mindset. Imagine if God acted out of "tit for tat;" we would all be in trouble. But God is a God of blessing and he blesses us daily with His grace and love. He loves us perfectly in spite of the fact that we can't return that love perfectly. It's not a "tit for tat" relationship.
Our purpose is to share His love in tangible ways. Our purpose is not to save people, our purpose is to bless people.
May you be a blessing!
4 comments:
Sometimes I feel that the church wants us to "evengelize" just because they want to increase our members.
I am very much comfortable on looking at evangelism as a process of sharing God's love/ blessings.
I couldn't agree with you more, Pastor Rich. Thank you for the reminder that God is the one who saves and for the practical suggestions on being a blessing to others. May God bless you, your family, and your ministry in Catawba UMC (Where is that?!).
Floyd,
Yeah, I agree that sometimes it can become about increasing numbers not the kingdom. I struggle with that, because I think the church should grow, but not for the sake of growth, for the sake of the kingdom.
Jon,
Catawba, NC is located between Hickory and Statesville, NC. It's a small town North West of Charlotte, NC.
Thanks for your comment.
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