Jesus told us plainly what we need to do if we want to follow Him. “If anyone intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and [joining Me as a disciple and siding with My party] follow with Me [continually, cleaving steadfastly to Me]” (Mark 8:34). The “cross” we are asked to carry in life is simply one of unselfishness.
Most of us concentrate on what we can get in life, but we need to concentrate on what we can give. We think about what other people should do for us and often become angry because they do not give us what we want. Instead, we should think aggressively about what we can do for others and then trust God to meet our needs and fulfill our desires.
Please notice that I say we need to think aggressively about what we can do for others. Galatians 6:10 conveys the same meaning, encouraging us to “Be mindful to be a blessing.” Simply put, to “be mindful” means to be intentional, to be purposeful and deliberate. God wants us to think on purpose and to make a point of being a blessing to others. I do my best to be aggressive in my thinking about who I can bless, and realizing that I must give and help on purpose has been very beneficial to me. It did not come naturally. I had to learn to do it, but it has been one of the greatest, most rewarding lessons of my life. There are certainly times when I “feel” like being a blessing, but there are many times when I don’t. Sometimes I may also feel that people should be doing more for me, and in reality perhaps they should be, but that cannot be my concern. I have learned to trust God to get to me what He wants me to have and to personally continue reaching out to others. We cannot live by what we feel and ever have consistency and stability. Our ability to choose is greater than how we feel and it is that ability we must activate. Be deliberate about love!
I remember one specific morning when I sat and thought, Okay, God, I want to bless someone today. I was not talking about blessing someone by preaching or teaching, but in my personal life, in my own little corner of the world. I always want to make sure I am living the same way I encourage other people to live so I thought through the various people I would be around that day.
About thirty seconds later, God showed me something I could do for a specific person. He impressed upon me the fact that being a blessing to that person by simply telling her how much I appreciated her would really mean a lot to her and give her fuel for the day. All I needed to do was say, “I just want you to know I really appreciate you.” It didn’t take long, and it didn’t require much effort, but I did have to think about it. I had to choose to do it on purpose; I had to be intentional about wanting to bless someone. I encourage you to begin to think on purpose about how you can be a blessing to the people around you. Remember, it does not have to cost money although at times it may; it does not always have to take much time; and it does not have to take an enormous amount of energy. Blessing people can be quick and easy, but it won’t just happen. You have to do it deliberately. At times what God asks us to do may be more costly to us in time, effort, or finances than at other times, but either way we need to be ready to be God’s ambassador on earth. Use what you have in the service of God and man and your needs will always be met.
Think about It
How will you deliberately be a blessing to someone this week?
