When I thought about yesterday’s devotional, I then had other ideas about the “Me First” concept.
So often, we look to our churches and friends and even family and ask, “What can you give me?” or “What can you do for me?” While this is common, I believe it is not at all how God would like us to approach life on this earth.
I believe our best question is, “What can I give in this place where I am planted?”
When searching for churches, many people ask what a particular church has to offer them. On the contrary when we are out searching for a new church home, one question I ask is, “How can I serve here?” Don’t you think that’s how God would want us to approach it?
We shouldn’t always be takers. We, especially as believers, should always be looking for opportunities to exercise generosity and kindness. We shouldn’t be over-used or abused, but consistently willing to serve as He leads us.
On the flip side of this, we shouldn’t be so consumed by being used that we then stop learning and growing and being taught. I’m learning it’s all a very delicate balance. But it’s very worthwhile to hash it out.
So, my challenge to you today is, take a minute and inspect your heart and think about all the places you go in a day. Are you discovering that you have a taker mentality in your daily approach? If so, it’s never too late to change. Are you discovering that you are over-used? That’s ok too. It’s never too late to pull back and reassess. Whatever you do, don’t stop giving or being used because you fear over-use. It’s truly your own responsibility to learn how to have healthy boundaries and to learn the art of saying, “No” when you should. Likewise, some of us need to rediscover the art of the “Yes”. Just because you’ve been wounded or over-used in the past, is not an excuse to stop giving or participating in life.
When you get knocked down, the most important thing is how you get up. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Don’t wallow in self-loathing or self-pity. Get up and get moving on. Today is your day!
Let’s do this!!
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. Colossians 3:23-25
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. Psalm 112:5-6
365 Days in the Presence 