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March 28, 2007
FROM THE COUCH
From the Couch
WINGS OF LOVE
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:18
Have you ever heard or read something that just hit you like a ton of bricks? It happens to me all the time. This morning, as I was flipping through My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers, I read this – “If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love (page 36).” It’s very true that we cannot love someone else with the love of Christ unless we have the attitude of Christ – one of looking to another’s needs and interests over our own (Philippians 2:4-8). Love is by nature selfless and sacrificial. It is also active. Love doesn’t stop with words, but it must be exercised in acts of service and compassion.
I believe that it’s important to recognize and celebrate the things that God is doing in our body to make us more like Christ, and there’s one ministry in particular that I think we all need to recognize and support. The women of the church have begun a ministry called W.I.N.G.S (Women in Nurturing, Giving, and Serving). W.I.N.G.S. is organized like this – the women form groups of three, and each group is assigned two people to actively love. The women in each group also focus on serving and nurturing one another. As they are able, each group is encouraged to look for opportunities to expand their outreach by adding others to the list of people they serve and visit. This is a wonderful example of how God is at work in our body, teaching us to apply the truth of God’s Word in our lives. As these women look beyond themselves in love, they become the hands and feet and face of Christ. Isn’t that exciting?! If you would like to join them, please call the church office and Jennifer will get you in contact with the right persons to get connected.
We all have opportunities to look beyond ourselves and love others with the love of Christ. In fact, it is our responsibility. When Jesus describes the final judgment, He uses loving, compassionate service as evidence to recognize those who will inherit His Kingdom. “The King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Matthew 25:34-36). When those ask Him how they did these things for Him, He will simply say – “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (25:40). What’s your ministry of love? Is it volunteering at the nursing home, or visiting someone who is lonely or sick? Is it investing in the life of a child or teenager? Is it cooking meals for shut-ins or inviting people into your home for a meal whom you don’t know well? Maybe it’s simply writing a card of encouragement that can be a treasured reminder to someone that you care. The possibilities are almost endless. We have ordered 300 Easter outreach packets with an invitation to visit Zion that we will deliver door-to-door around town on Wed. April 4th at 6:30pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate Christ’s love by welcoming a stranger into our fellowship. If you’re interested, please come join us. I pray that this week God will reveal new ways for each of us to look beyond our immediate surroundings and extend the love of Christ to someone new. May you be blessed and may He be glorified!
Pastor Steve
Posted by Jennifer Herrmann at March 28, 2007 02:51 PM