“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are My friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:13-14 NLT)
Are you God’s friend? Before you jump to answer that, please review your schedule and your checkbook or records of your recent month’s expenditures. What we say we are and what our life illustrates we are can be two very different things. I can say I’m a great athlete when in fact I only enjoy watching great athletes in action while I sit on my couch and dream about being like them, and eating ice cream, of course.
Our view of ourselves often pales in comparison to the view the Lord has of us as He evaluates our lives on His love scale. How do you believe the Lord evaluates us? Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:34-36 when He said: “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.”
Of course, these aren’t the only measures of our friendship with the Lord, but they’re obviously important to Him. For us to ignore them or simply prefer not to bother ourselves with people like that is to block a real avenue of building our friendship with the Lord. Why would we do that? Why would we intentionally block a very valid and real way to help someone while at the same time growing in our intimacy with the Lord.
As a Pastor I made many visits to hospitals, Nursing Homes, Hospice facilities, jails, prisons, homes, motels/hotels, and anyplace else the Lord prompted me to go to speak with someone in need. Ironically, while I always had the sense that He was sending me, I didn’t always make the connection that I was visiting Him in those circumstances.
It’s not a stretch to realize when we pass a person in the grocery store, or other shopping environment, a restaurant, park, or place of amusement or entertainment that looks distraught, down, crying, angry, or in any other way seems out of sorts, perhaps, at the Lord’s nudging, we should simply ask, “You seem upset, is there any way I can be of help?”
Please don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, but if the Lord gives you clear instructions, just do what He tells you to do. Kindness can go a long way in breaking down barriers. Sometimes I will tell someone the Lord prompted me to reach out to them or other times they might ask: “Why did you help me?” to which I am happy to respond.
The point is, the Lord Jesus lives in us by His Spirit, and our goal is to grow in our likeness of Him, so, why wouldn’t we want to take advantage of every opportunity to bless and honor Him by our well treatment of those He puts in our path. If we’re truly God’s friend, shouldn’t we act like it in our interactions with those we meet from day to day?
It baffles me when so called “godly” people demand the best service at restaurants but are the lousiest tippers. When at a restaurant it just makes sense to me to be kind, considerate, thoughtful, and leave a large tip, especially when I leave an invite card to my church with my paid bill. Please don’t leave an invite card to your church if you’re rude, demanding, or leave a lousy tip (below 20%). Save the Lord and yourself the embarrassment. After all, it is their livelihood. How would you want people to treat you if you were in their shoes, especially if you’d been treated in an unkind way?
And some may wonder, what if the server is rude or inattentive to me? All the more reason to be kind and generous with them. If we’re truly a friend of God, we need to act like it in every situation and circumstance, in our home and elsewhere.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 