Love....Giving It Away

In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul writes of the most excellent way. He shares with us that if we have the talent of many languages but no love we are but a resounding gong. That if we have vast knowledge and faith that can move mountains but have no love then we are nothing. If we give all we have to the poor but do not do it out of love then we gain nothing. My pastor shared from this passage this morning and really continued a challenge in me that God began a few weeks ago.

A few weeks ago God began to challenge me as to what I was doing personally to 'give it away'. By that I mean, what was I doing to give away the grace, acceptance and love that He so freely gave to me. I realized that I wasn't doing much of anything. I quietly served in my areas of responsibilities at church and tried my best to instill Godly principles in my children but outside of that I wasn't really doing much to share HIM with the WORLD. I made a promise that very afternoon that I would begin to give it away. I daily ask Him to show me the opportunities to share His love with folks that I come in contact with. I've been surprised at how much of a difference a smile and a kind word can make in WalMart or Wendy's. My view of people around me has changed to seeing them as God sees them - one of His children. We all have flaws. We all have days when we just want to close the book and start over. We all have dark places in ourselves that we don't want the light to shine on too brightly. We are all human, made in His image, saved by grace. The lady having the bad day behind the counter at WalMart is no different than me. Sure, we may have had different struggles but they are still struggles, they still hinder us or cause us to soar a little higher. If I'm not going to take the time to share a smile and a kind word, what assurance do I have that someone else will? That old saying, "You may be the only Jesus some see" really has a whole new meaning for me these days.

So I ask you....what are you doing to give it away? I encourage you to pray for opportunities to show compassion to another. To pray that God will provide avenues to you to share His grace and unconditional love with another. I can assure you that by doing this and giving it away you will be blessed beyond your wildest imagination!

Happy Valentines Day! Now go give it away! :)