Day 15

September 12

 

In all that I do, I do not want to do it to please men, but to please my Heavenly Father. Ephesians 6:6 says,"Not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart." Those words, "doing the will of God from the heart," made me question my heart this morning. You see, at one time I went around all day very conscious of others needs. My greatest pleasure was to find little ways to bless others. Sorting and folding laundry for my mom when she was not looking, making sure the house was picked up before my dad came home, or doing a chore that had been assigned to one of my siblings just to see them smile. But somewhere along the path of growing into adulthood I seem to have lost that.

 

Lately I have been noticing that instead of thinking, "How can I bless others?" I more often think, "Well, I need to do this and this so that I can..." Notice the "I"? I am more self-centered then Christ-centered or others-centered. Today, and tomorrow, and the next days my prayer is going to be that I will go to whatever height or depth needed to bless others on a daily basis. I want to put joy in their hearts and a smile on their faces and most importantly I want them to feel loved, by myself and the Lord. I want them to be encouraged to get up tomorrow and go and bless others.

 

"For this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). Christ left an example for us. An example of love and self-sacrifice in all things. An example of what love really looks like, a gift to give more then to receive, a treasure to be shared at every opportunity, and a hope for tomorrow. Love means we are willing to lay aside our wants and wishes to fulfill the needs of others, and sometimes even to just fulfill the wishes of others. Thankfully these are not shoes we need to fill, just footprints we are called to walk in, because if we were called to fill Jesus' shoes we would never measure up!

 

Are you a follower of Christ? Do you know what 1 John 2:6 says? It says,"He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." See we are to walk as He walked. To talk as He talked. To bless as He blessed. To love as He loved.