Reading your Bible for Today March 21

March 21: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

KJV Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:12
12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

Devotion:
Sometimes when we take a step back and look at how we are treating others, we find we are actually doing things for ourselves, for our own comfort, for our own gain. Having compassion for others is something that should come naturally to the Christian, and yet we are often too caught up in things to look upon those who need it most. We are often too busy doing things which we think we ought to and not looking at the situation in hand and looking for those who need immediate help.

As Christians, we are taught to love God and to love our neighbours. We are taught that we need to show brotherly love to our neighbours. And so we do. We start to take a keen interest in those around us and then we start to get a bit more enthusiastic... more and more... and then we end up being more of an annoyance to them than we should because we have overloaded them with attention. Brotherly love is about showing compassion, showing that you care, but allowing that person to continue living for themselves. If we really want them to be able to survive, then we should teach them how to survive, and not how to depend on us.

We need to make sure we do it with our own hands so they can see that it is us who are helping them, encouraging them, but we also need to show them just who is the wisdom behind this all. We need to show them that Christ is our guide, that the Holy Spirit can be their guide and that we are doing all thing to the glory of God and not for them or ourselves. Diligent Christian work is far removed from earthly work. We are working to Gods laws and not to our own. We are working for the good of God and not for our own gain. When we are able to show others that sort of brotherly love, then we are encouraging them to seek God as well. What would be the point if they were able to live a full life, but without God?

Points to Ponder:
How much do you show your friends that you care?

How much do you show God you care for everyone?