I always like refining and massaging my blogs to try and make them as effective as possible in a few words.
But today I was reading a scripture and something hit me that if I spent time trying to distill it, it won’t be as straight forward.
Luke 10:27 He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Things starting popping like fireworks – and I’ll write another blog about the other part. But the FIRST thing that made my start writing in the margin of my bible was the part that said – love your neighbor as yourself.
Heard it a thousand times, BUT…
Human Struggles
After returning from Haiti and struggling with my own SELFISHNESS – yep, selfishness WHILE I was in Haiti.
Things like, when I was packing bags of food to giveaway out of our suitcases, I wanted to holdback a couple granola bars for the trip home in case we got hungry.
I thought twice before giving my favorite scarf away to a woman in a remote village that loved it. How stingy are thoughts like that????
The Revelation Part
So when I read Luke 10, I heard in my heart – WHEN YOU LOVE your neighbor as yourself, you have NO TROUBLE GIVING because giving to someone you love as much as yourself FEELS AS GOOD as giving to yourself.
That was a reality check for me.
The best thing I knew to do was share gut-level how so may times we read over things and don’t think that we have any growing to do in that area. But we do.
Anyone else feeling stretched?
In so many ways. Stretched and stretching reaching for Him always.
Pastor Nicole
Thank you so much for being so vulnerable. It took the bite of condemnation away from me this morning! When I feel condemned I feel defensive and then I feel selfish and it goes on and on! What a great revelation of God’s unending supply! A reminder to trust Him with everything we are and have. Thank you!
Thankful that He looks past our flesh and sees our true hearts desires!
*clapping* for deep truth!
Faith Church helps stretch my thinking, emotions, feeling, everyday, between services, both of your blogs and the social media post. Thank you for your concern for all of us
Hearing Pastor Dave preach yesterday and seeing your blog this morning has really touched my heart. I am so guilty of selfish thoughts even when I am helping or not helping as much as I probably could. Seeing the video of Haiti was a real eye opener to just how much we take for granted and I was truly grateful my kids got to see it as well. Thank you for doing Gods work and thank you for this reminder that change starts inside each one of us. I hope that especially during this season but the rest of the year as well that people, myself included, can begin to open their hearts to God and become proteges of the Good Samaritan. God bless you and the work you do!
Lauren Winkle
So glad that you were touched by what we were able to experience!