Tomorrow will be the dawn of my junior year of college. Yes, I am over half way through my college career, and at times it's a frightening thought. But while I am becoming increasingly apprehensive as I draw nearer to my entrance into the "real world," I am also excited about this new year. For me, it feels like a brand-new opportunity to live better than I did last year in several areas of my life. I have a lot of goals, and there is no doubt in my mind that I'll often fall short in my attempts to accomplish them. My highest priority, though, is going to be living out my faith with boldness, which is something that I honestly just haven't done very much in the past.
I don't remember exactly what triggered the realization, but it just hit me a couple days ago: Being a Christian is so much simpler than we often make it out to be. Our calling is to love others. That's it. Now, that love can be shown in a thousand different ways, but if we consistently just love people, then we'll be doing pretty good with the whole following Jesus thing. There has to be something that stops us, though, from acting on this. I mean, for me anyway, it's not that I hate people or even dislike them. I want to live out my faith, but I lack the boldness that it so often requires. I think my problem has been that I've relied on my own boldness instead of the Lord's, and I will always fall short when I attempt to depend on myself instead of Him.
I prayed about all of this on Saturday night, for God to give me boldness the next day, and of course, He delivered. For me, it was as simple as walking up and starting a conversation at church with a girl who had just moved to town and didn't know many people. We ended up eating lunch together, and she plans to come back to church tomorrow. I have no clue how much of a difference my obedience made to her, but I do know that it made a huge impact on me. I learned on Sunday, because of her, that if you make it a point to be the kind of friend you'd like to have as your own, God will bless you for it. He's faithful like that.
Charles Spurgeon words it well in today's Morning and Evening devotional:
I don't remember exactly what triggered the realization, but it just hit me a couple days ago: Being a Christian is so much simpler than we often make it out to be. Our calling is to love others. That's it. Now, that love can be shown in a thousand different ways, but if we consistently just love people, then we'll be doing pretty good with the whole following Jesus thing. There has to be something that stops us, though, from acting on this. I mean, for me anyway, it's not that I hate people or even dislike them. I want to live out my faith, but I lack the boldness that it so often requires. I think my problem has been that I've relied on my own boldness instead of the Lord's, and I will always fall short when I attempt to depend on myself instead of Him.
I prayed about all of this on Saturday night, for God to give me boldness the next day, and of course, He delivered. For me, it was as simple as walking up and starting a conversation at church with a girl who had just moved to town and didn't know many people. We ended up eating lunch together, and she plans to come back to church tomorrow. I have no clue how much of a difference my obedience made to her, but I do know that it made a huge impact on me. I learned on Sunday, because of her, that if you make it a point to be the kind of friend you'd like to have as your own, God will bless you for it. He's faithful like that.
Charles Spurgeon words it well in today's Morning and Evening devotional:
"He that watereth shall be watered also himself."
Proverbs 11:25
"Our strength for labour is hidden even from ourselves, until we venture forth to fight the Lord's battles, or to climb the mountains of difficulty. We do not know what tender sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow's tears, and soothe the orphan's grief... We discover how much grace there is where we had not looked for it; and how much the poor saint may outstrip us in knowledge. Our own comfort is also increased by our working for others. We endeavour to cheer them, and the consolation gladdens our own heart. Like the two men in the snow; one chafed the other's limbs to keep him from dying, and in so doing kept his own blood in circulation, and saved his own life. The poor widow of Sarepta gave from her scanty store a supply for the prophet's wants, and from that day she never again knew what want was. Give then, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and running over."Amen.
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