How often do we all get so wrapped up in our own lives that we forget there's an entire world around us? I know that I feel like I worry about myself too much. Like my life becomes all about ME and not enough about God and EVERYONE ELSE. God wants us to REACH OUT to people. To see more than just ourselves.
There are thousands, MILLIONS of lonely and hurting people out there. The world is vast and a lot of times we tend to forget that--I know I do. What if instead of worrying about ourselves we began to think about OTHERS. What if we began to HELP people when we could--comforting people, volunteering, simply talking to someone, sharing Jesus with people? How different would our world be?
As followers of Christ, we should be willing to HELP people in any circumstance. We should put others ABOVE ourselves. Keep in mind that not everything we do for others has to be extreme...
Simply being cheerful and polite and KIND can brighten someones day and be "good medicine"! If we act as Jesus taught us to, with a joyful and loving attitude, we will improve peoples' lives! All we have to do is REACH OUT to the world around us.
If we take a look at the world around us, we will see a lot of needy and lonely people. When we REACH OUT and act like Jesus did even with the small things, putting OTHERS above ourselves we can CHANGE THE WORLD--or at least brighten it a little!!
Today I read a really great section of Acts, Acts 3. It is a rather long, so I won't post the whole thing, but I would definitely encourage you to take out your Bibles or even just google Acts 3. I found that it really inspiring. Here's a summary of what happens:
There were these two guys, Peter and John, both were followers of Jesus. They were on a mission to witness to people and to spread God's Word, so they went to a Jewish temple--just think about that. There's these two guys going into a busy Jewish temple, where they don't believe in Jesus, preaching all about what Jesus had done for them. A pretty risky move. Anyway, just outside the temple they see this beggar who had been lame since birth.
He asks Peter and John for money and what do they tell him? "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." (3:6) And up he went, the lame beggar walking around and praising the name of Jesus! All of the other people at the temple saw this guy, this lame beggar that they had seen everyday for years, they saw him walking. Knowing it had to be a miracle they began to question and praise John and Peter, who promptly set them straight and told them that it was not by their power, but by GOD'S power that the beggar had been healed.
Isn't that just inspiring? That God can heal ANYONE. He can make anyone a new creation--No matter who you were or what you've been through. God can work in your life like He worked in this beggars.
God tells us that He can save us, He can CHANGE us whenever we call on His name! He can make us clean, so ANY sin we committed is just gone. He makes us a clean slate again! He makes us NEW CREATIONS.
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord," Acts 3:19
God is there for us to SAVE us and to CLEAN us and to REDEEM us. He wants to make us into new creations. He wants to show the new you. The true you!
Jesus will change your life. He will take away your guilt and fill you will peace and joy and HOPE! You just have to repent and allow Him to work in your life. Because if He can use a lame beggar as His witness, why can't he use you? Correct answer: He CAN.
If you truly do allow Jesus to change your life and make you a new creation in Him, then give him all the glory!! In Acts, John and Peter easily could have become famous and renowned, but they CHOSE to give the glory to God. We should all take after their example.
There are many lessons to be learned out of one teeny little chapter in Acts:
1. God can use ANYONE to be His witness--even a lame beggar
2. Have Holy Boldness and don't be afraid to share your faith in Christ, like John and Peter did
3. God can change ANYONE and make ANYONE new
4. No matter what is going on in your life, give the all the glory to God!
Now it's your turn to allow Jesus to change your life and turn you into the NEW YOU!
