Serve! Serve! Serve!

SERVE! SERVE! SERVE! We must remember to be of service to all who cross our path; for some may be angels in disguise. Under the watchful eye of God, we are called to serve at all times, just as Jesus served and is serving us today. Are you doing all you can, to serve mankind? Do you help widows and orphans? What have you done for the beggar on the corner? Do you feed and clothe your brothers? When was the last time you stretched out your hand to help someone up? Do your words edify your neighbor? How about your family? Do your actions scream — Me! Me! Me! or LOVE? As a prisoner for Christ, this is my Litmus Test. Everyone has heard the term “Jail House Christians” and there are many for sure. These guys that get locked up and suddenly find God in their lives, but then carry on with their lives as if nothing changed. Oh, they may go to Church Services and try to quit using curse words, or even start praying at meals. I think Jesus would agree that like the Pharisees, they are nothing more than a white washed tomb at this point. If they do not find forgiveness and compassion, they are missing the mark. Love for all mankind is the mark we are called to aim for. Paul writes about this Love in 1st Corinthians 13, Verse 13. The end of the chapter says “Go now, Faith, Hope, and Love abide these three, but the greatest of these is Love”. Which makes sense, considering Jesus said “You Shall Love the Lord your God with all your Heart, and with all your Soul, and with all your Mind. This is the first and greatest Commandment. The second is like the first and states you shall Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend ALL the Law and the prophets”! Mathew 23:37:40. So then, what is Love? Is Love that feeling that comes over your like in the movie Bambi, and you feel all twitterpatted? No, I believe Love is a conscious choice we make. Love is not a feeling, but an action. If it were not, if we were only to feel Love, why would an All Knowing, All Seeing God command us to love and lay out parameters for that love? Can you feel all twitterpatted for your enemy? “I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. Mathew 5:44. So then, what is love? “Love is patient and kind.” 1st Corinthians 13:4a in other words, “Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude”. 1° Corinthians 13:46-5a. Being a good neighbor means you don’t rub another’s nose in the dirt or pour salt in an open wound. It means to humbly walk with someone else’s interest in mind. For you see “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and love never ends”. 1st Corinthians 13:7-8a. if this is true, then you never fall out of love. It is a choice to not act in love. We love because God first loved us. We were made to have a loving relationship with God and a mate. We were also commanded to go forth and populate the world, loving our neighbors along the way. How do we love our neighbors? We love them by putting their spiritual and physical needs before our own wants. Doesn't the bible say that If your asked to travel one mile, you should go two and if someone asks for your tunic/shirt, you should offer your cloak as well. What good does it do someone if you [say “Go in peace and be warmed and filled” without giving them the things needed...] James 2:16. In doing this, you may be planting a seed. For the smallest seed can take root and produce 30, 60, or 100 fold. What kind of seeds are you planting everyday?