As for Me and My House – Day 21
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. What does it take to win …
DAY 21: GIVE HIM OUR BEST
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
What does it take to win an Olympic gold medal? A life that is dedicated to one thing. An athlete gives hours and hours of practice, training, workouts, special diet and coaching—for years. You don’t become the best of the best overnight. That prize is not easily won.
If people will sacrifice that much for an earthly prize, shouldn’t we be willing to work hard and sacrifice for an eternal prize? We desire to give God our best so that we will be with Him for all of eternity. We give Him our best and He gives us His best.
QUESTIONS Are you working with all your heart for the Lord or for men? What kind of reward are you working for—earthly recognition of your accomplishments or a heavenly prize (your inheritance)? How does knowing you will receive an inheritance affect your attitude toward work?
PRAYER Help me work hard for you, Lord, and not for men. Fill me so I can give my very best in whatever I do.
ACTION Be aware at work, at home, and with others if you are giving your best to serve God who is faithful or man who is not. By your actions, let others get the message, “I see you, I care.”
As for Me and My House – Day 19
Romans 12:15-16
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Let’s face it—we all struggle with…
DAY 19: BEARING ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS
Romans 12:15-16
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Let’s face it—we all struggle with life’s various difficulties at times. God wants us to empathize with one another through those low points. When someone is feeling down, we who are stronger ought to be there for them.
We should also share in the happiness of those who are doing well and not let ourselves be jealous of their blessings. Jesus was a friend to tax gatherers and sinners. He drank wine at weddings and wept at funerals.
We can’t all be Mother Teresa, ministering in leper colonies, orphanages, and homes for the dying destitute. But each of is called and equipped to do something. Ask the Lord, what?
QUESTIONS Who are the “people of low position” around you? The unemployed? The homeless? Foster kids? Teen moms? The mentally ill? Recent arrivals in America? What is your attitude toward them? How can you “associate” with them?
PRAYER Your Word is clear, Lord—I am to help prisoners, orphans, widows, those less fortunate than I am. Show me how to demonstrate Your unconditional love to those who are so different from me. Let me humble myself now and go and do what You would do.
ACTION Go and do it. Serve the marginalized through a church ministry, a faith-based or secular community-service organization, or even as an individual. But do something. Don’t just read this and miss the opportunity to help bear someone else’s burden. Here are just a few ministries that serve marginalized people in the Phoenix area:
As for Me and My House – Day 18
Proverbs 22:9
The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.
Steve, a 62-year-old homeless military veteran, attempted to earn money by displaying his hand-drawn art…
DAY 18: BLESSED TO BLESS OTHERS
Proverbs 22:9
The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.Proverbs 11:25
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Steve, a 62-year-old homeless military veteran, attempted to earn money by displaying his hand-drawn art. One evening, a young woman approached and offered him several slices of pizza. Steve gratefully accepted. Moments later, Steve shared his bounty with another hungry, homeless person. Touched by Steve’s generosity, the same young woman soon returned with another plate of food.
Steve’s story illustrates the principle that blessing others often results in being blessed by others. But we shouldn’t give in order to get something in return. God’s economy doesn’t work that way. He sees our hearts as well as our actions, and tells us if we will refresh others we will be refreshed.
QUESTIONS Do you share with the poor? Have you given to Living Streams’ Food Pantry recently? Do you support local downtown missions? Even if you can’t give financially, can you volunteer some of your time?
PRAYER Lord, You said there will always be poor people in society. Help me to not be cynical, but to give out of my heart to those in need. Open my heart to share out of the wealth of Your abundance to me.
ACTION Share some food with the poor today, no matter how you do it. Donate to Feed My Starving Children — fmsc.org, to the Living Streams Food Pantry, etc., or give a sandwich to a homeless person on the street as the Lord leads you.
As for Me and My House – Day 17
Isaiah 58:6-7
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the …
DAY 17: SOCIAL JUSTICE STARTS IN THE CHURCH
Isaiah 58:6-7
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
How do we please the Lord with our fasting? He says here in Isaiah that He wants us to break the chains of injustice, to set captives free, to share our food with the hungry, and to provide shelter for people who don’t have it. Jesus said simply, we should clothe the naked, feed the poor, and help prisoners, widows, and orphans.
Maybe we can’t solve every social injustice, but certainly, we can find someone beyond ourselves who’s hungry or poorly clothed or homeless. During this time of fasting let’s listen to the Lord and then participate in acts that demonstrate our commitment to what He cares about.
QUESTIONS Do you fast on a regular basis for the things Isaiah mentions? In what ways can you care for those who have such needs?
PRAYER I repent, Lord, of not thinking more about those You care for so much. Help me to hear what You are saying to me right now. Help me to follow through and do what You ask me to do—to help the hungry and the homeless and to clothe those who need it.
ACTION Decide to make an effort to be aware of people around you with basic needs, then give or share with them as God guides you.
As for Me and My House – Day 16
Hebrews 13:16
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Eighteenth-century English cleric John Wesley had this for his rule of life: Do all the good you can…
DAY 16: DOING GOOD TO OTHERS
Hebrews 13:16
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Eighteenth-century English cleric John Wesley had this for his rule of life:
Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.
His contemporary, writer and poet John Keble, wrote that going out and doing something kind for somebody is a “medicine that never fails to cure” despondency. “To test it, try it. Your visit to the sick, the bereaved, the disheartened, and the lonely, will kindle fires of love and hope upon your own desolate hearth.”
Keble believed that Jesus was cheerful partially because he “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). Remember that doing good for others frees us from bondage to our self-centered gloom.
QUESTIONS What do you do when you are down? What do you think? Will you visit the sick, bereaved and disheartened?
PRAYER Lord, help me get out of my own little world. Help me to see and share from the abundance of what You have lavished on me. When I am down, let me light a fire in my “desolate hearth” by doing for others as You did.
ACTION Take a moment to pray and think of someone you can do something good for. They may be a close friend or someone in your neighborhood. Maybe you can call them or write them a letter or purchase groceries for them. Do it now!
As for Me and My House – Day 15
Mark 10:43-45
...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
WEEK 3
SHARING
As for me and my house, we will serve.
DAY 15: SERVING OTHERS IS OUR CALL
Mark 10:43-45
...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
It has been said that everyone likes to be a servant until they are treated like one. It is not the American way to be a servant to all. But this is God’s way. By the nature of our flesh, we want to be first, not last. But this is not God’s way. Jesus gave us the example of being the ultimate servant and gave His life for us. Will you now give your life to Him? Ask God what you need to repent of to fulfill your destiny and be His servant by serving all.
QUESTIONS What makes it so hard to be a servant? If you could ask God to do one thing that would help you be more like Him, what would it be? How does He want you to fulfill this call of being a servant?
PRAYER So often I am trying to lead instead of following You, Lord. I pray for the ability to grasp what it means to really be a servant to You, to my family, and in other relationships. I want to have Your attitude and to live out what it means to serve others in Your name.
ACTION Ask the Lord to show you how you can serve someone today. Make sure you do something that is what they need, not what you want to do for them. Let God guide you by His Spirit.
Give to Others, Even When You're Hurting
Sometimes when we feel down, and so into ourselves, we need to look up and look out. Giving to others when you feel needy can take you out of yourself and bring you into a less selfish place.
by Alan Heller, Personal Life Coach and Counselor
alan@walkandtalk.org
Sometimes when we feel down, and so into ourselves, we need to look up and look out. Giving to others when you feel needy can take you out of yourself and bring you into a less selfish place.
Maybe you can call someone who helped you. Or maybe you can email or text someone who has been very important in your life but you have not talked to them in years. Pauly and I have been having Bible study happy hour with our friends on Zoom to keep connected. You can also check out ways to help people who have asked for help in specific areas.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waiver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. –James 1:5-8
Questions: Is there someone that the Lord is leading you to give something to? What is it?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, give me eyes to see the needs around me. Help me know who to give, text, email, phone or write to today. Speak to me today about others and help me love, rather than introspect in an unhealthy way.
Action: Ask God to show you what you are to give today and be ready to give money, time, talent. Now go do something for someone in Jesus’ name.