Look Out for Others
“None of you should just look out for your own good. You should also look out for the good of others.” Philippians 2:4 [+/-]
I was sitting at the dining room table yesterday morning having my breakfast. I was looking through the Christmas cards that had come. I love Christmas cards. I love them all. The letters, the photos, the beautiful stationery. What a treat.
While I was sitting there, my 7 year old son handed me a card and said “I don’t know if you know this verse or not Mom, but I thought you might like it.” Alec loves God. He loves to read from his youth Bible. He loves to go to church. To the kids programs. I recognized the business-sized card as something from his VBS (Vacation Bible School) program this past summer. The verse above was on the tiny, unassuming card. This is not the first time that God has used Alec to reach me and my heart.
For a long time, even after becoming a Christian, I didn’t think the Bible was really for me. I didn’t think I could understand it. I thought it took too much time. I thought the words were too big. I thought it might be less relevant in this day and age. The enemy will do anything to keep us from the Truth of God’s Word.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1 [+/-]
Christians all around the world are preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth. Christmas. How wonderful to be reminded that God came to earth to love us, to teach us and to eventually die and rise again for us.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory; the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 [+/-]
I look at the kindness of the opening verse and I am reminded that God wants me, requires me, to care for those around me. The verse is so simple that you might not even know that it came from the Bible. It could have been the wisdom of a grandmother. Or the motto of a loving friend. You might even think that you could read it on a Hallmark card. God gave us His Word, not so we couldn’t understand it and use it, but so that we could be drawn to Him and we could be drawn to those around us.
Mother Teresa, Christian missionary and winner of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize is quoted as saying, “If you judge people, you will have no time to love them.”
With only a few short days now until Christmas, let us all seek out ways that we can care for others. Maybe it’s truly the gift that fits all, never expires, and is never the wrong style or color. It’s the perfect gift for that person who seemingly has everything.
Could anyone ever be cared for too much? Give it a try this holiday season and see what God shows you about Himself, His Son, Jesus, and the people that He has brought into your life. You may end up receiving something too. That’s just the way that God is.
Lovingly, Kris
