I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
There needs to be more stories in the news like the one in this devotional about the selfless acts that one person does for another person in need. How much more pleasant it would be to watch a news show with some positive news on it? We may never make the news but we are called upon to be selfless and Jesus modeled that for us when He went to the cross. God’s gift is completely free for us, but it cost Him dearly. When we accept His gift of grace, mercy and ultimately salvation, we are part of His army of volunteers that He sends into the world to represent Him. We may not be able to do big things, but we can do something every day to show someone the love of Jesus in our lives, opening a door for them to get to know Jesus for themselves. I confess that I have been prompted by the Holy Spirit to do something for a stranger and have walked away instead, sometimes due to shyness and the thought that I might be embarrassed. I am trying to do better and to follow the His leading, to help others selflessly regardless of how I personally feel about stepping outside of my comfort zone. Sometimes God prods us to do something that costs money (He knows we have it or He wouldn’t ask us to give), sometimes He encourages us to give time or a tangible gift of some sort. Whatever it is that He tells us to give, we need to be ready and willing to reach out to others. God reached down from heaven to each of us when He sent His only Son to die for us. It seems to me that it’s a small thing for us to obey His call to reach out to others. His undeserved favor is supposed to be passed on, not hoarded.
Serve while you grow and you end up growing more. I found in my life as a teacher in various states teaching various subjects that nowhere did I grow more in my knowledge and dependence on God than when I was told I would be teaching Latin I in high school. I am trained to teach Spanish and history, but the administrators needed a Latin teacher and said that since I had a background in Spanish (a Romance language) I would do fine. Let me tell you, I studied that subject every night, barely staying ahead of the students. The Latin teacher who was there to help me for about a month left to get knee surgery, had complications and was out for most of the year. So, there was me and a substitute who knew no Latin or any language at all. I did have one human resource, a teacher named David from another school who would answer all of my questions. (I kept a running list.) I also called on God over and over again to help me to understand and to remember the conjugations, declensions and vocabulary that were all totally new to me. My six week class of introductory Latin in high school that I took to help with my SAT scores was not terribly helpful, but David was and God calmed my spirit. I learned by doing. I taught and I learned.
Sometimes, we are called to step outside of our comfort zone and just do what God is calling us to do. This week I have been at my sister’s house in NC. I would much rather be in my warm home in VA, preparing for a visit from my son and his family. She is not especially pleasant to be around since she is not a Christian, wants little or nothing to do with God and seems to have developed a bitter spirit about Him since she is going blind. I have helped all that I can. I have prepared meals, cleaned, ministered to her needs so she doesn’t have to struggle to get up. I have tried to show her that Christians are not sanctimonious and judgmental but loving and kind. Has this been a great visit for me? Not according to earthly standards, but I have been doing what God sent me here to do. I have served. I am not trying to toot my horn or get pats on the back. I am just saying that someone, somewhere can use your gifts, talents and ministry of serving. You just have to find where and how to do it. You will never know true fulfillment here on earth until you are following Jesus’s example and serving, even when the people you serve don’t seem to see or appreciate what you do. God sees and He is smiling at you because you are looking more like His beloved Son every day that you serve others.
My hope is that we all have a mother somewhere in our lives, whether it is our biological mom or someone who nurtured us. May each of us remember to honor that special person today.
The best thing that can happen to a mother is to have her children appreciate her. Show your appreciation today for all of her sacrifices. My mom was sometimes harsh and not always loving, but she was my mom and even twenty years later, I miss hearing her voice. I know that she would have loved meeting all of her grandchildren because she did love little ones. If your mom is still alive, cherish your time with her because one day, when you least expect it perhaps, she will no longer be here on earth with you.
Be a mom first so that you can be a good friend once your children are adults.
These days we find ourselves in a technology era, one that I never imagined. There are so many social media sites that I cannot comprehend the number of followers on each of those sites. But whom are we following when we go online? Whether it is on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or even WordPress, we should be careful whom we follow.
The word follow is an interesting word. It can mean successive events but it can also mean to “go or come after, move behind in the same direction.” (http://www.dictionary.com) So, if you are following someone on social media, is your goal to emulate them? Do you want to move behind them in the same direction that they are going? If you are following those who are famous or rich, perhaps that is your goal, to be like them. But that is not the One we are called to follow.
This is what Jesus said when He called His disciples. He did not say to seek fortune or fame. Rather, He said to deny yourself and to take up your cross and follow Him. The cross was a place of shame, a punishment that was undeserved and yet our Lord and Savior suffered the humiliation of the cross. But here we are in this modern era claiming to have X number of followers and to be following X number of people. Our statistics seem to matter more than the example of those we are following. I follow a lot of people who read books similar to what I read, including authors and publishers and other readers. Does that make me not a follower of Jesus? No. But it does show where my priorities are. Reading is important to me, books matter to me, so those are the people online whom I follow. I also follow other Christians online, like the pastor who discipled me almost five decades ago and the current church that we attend. Jesus does not have a page for us to follow, does He? Of course not because His Book, His pages, are written in our hearts. So, when we follow Him, we are expected to follow His example. He gave without thinking of the cost to Himself. We should do likewise. He completed the ministry that the Father gave Him to do. We should do likewise. No matter how many days that God gives us on this earth, our calling is to find God’s purpose for our lives and fulfill it to the best of our ability. My greatest desire is to follow Jesus, no matter where He leads and no matter the cost. I want to wake up every morning with His Name on my lips and His sacrifice in my heart. I don’t want to be a statistic that says “Oh, me? Well, I’m a Christian. I follow Jesus.” I want to really choose to make Him the most important person in my life, my reason for being.
This is my prayer for me today and I hope it is your prayer, too. When you go online to the various social media outlets today, I hope that you will take a serious look at who is following you and what kind of example you are setting there. When you write posts, are you making sure that what you are saying is edifying, true, kind and necessary? When you respond to posts, are you responding in a way that shows you care for that person? I’m convinced that if Jesus were literally born into this age, He would be on social media but His would be a presence that called people to Him because of His great love. We are His hands, feet, eyes, ears and fingers typing on the keyboard. Are we showing His example to the world online? Are we being His witnesses as He called us to do?
Once again, my prayer for you and me is that we may be blessed so that we can be a blessing. But I also pray that God will help each of us become more like Him, a person worthy for others to follow, both in our physical lives and online.
Jesus is the model for our behavior. Not our pastor, although that might be good for a while, but he/she is human and will fall. Not our spouse or our friend for the same reason. Only Jesus was without sin and He showed the way to be like Him in what He did every day for regular people just like you and me. I hope that your day is blessed so that you can go out and bless someone else.
www.bible.com/reading-plans/3797/day/5
www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/10
www.bible.com/111/php.4.9.niv
www.bible.com/1171/php.4.9.mev
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 