But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.
Luke 6:27

Loving your enemies does not make you weak. Loving your enemies is a reflection of Christ’s heart living within you. It is a reflection of Christ’s strength. Your being will always be weak;
however, in Christ, you can be made strong. Loving your enemies is probably one of the hardest things to do as humans that are battling our flesh the majority of each day. We are tempted to lash out when we feel mistreated, yet Christ wants us to practice self-control. In today’s society, people pride themselves on not backing down, on speaking their mind, and on being the person that you don’t want to mess with. They create an illusion of being strong, when in all actuality not having self-control is a sign of extreme weakness. Loving our enemies shows the true strength of Christ that He has placed within His servants. It is a true reflection of God’s universal love. When we are truly serving Christ his love should exude from our very being. Loving our kids – that’s simple. Loving our best friends, simple. Loving people that do kind things for us, effortless. Loving someone that we deem mean, arrogant, or hateful, that feat seems insurmountable. Matthew 19:26 speaks so much truth. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” To serve God means striving to be like Him in all aspects of our life, which means loving people we may not want to love. The only way to accomplish this is a daily walk with God in which we sincerely seek to serve with our whole heart. Without God, loving our enemies will always be impossible. With God, broken people can see the hope and restoration that Christ brings. Don’t treat someone poorly because they treat you poorly. Treat them great because that’s what Jesus would do. Treat them exceptional because there is obviously an underlying issue deep in their soul that needs nourishing from Jesus. Be the person that Jesus uses to nourish them. They need to see God’s love more than anything else. Serve God in love by loving others that are hard to love.

God, help me to love those that are hard to love. Take over my heart and use me to show your love to those in need. It is so easy to love the lovable, but help me love the unlovable. Help me be love. Amen.

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” –Acts 20:35

You’ve heard the old adage “It is better to be a parent than a child on Christmas morning.” How true is that?! I mean the look on their faces. The excitement in your heart because you know what is inside the box that they are about to open. You know how badly they have wanted this specific item. As a mom, you don’t even need a present because of that look on their face – that’s it. That’s the stuff. Jesus was the ultimate gift giver. He gave his life so that we could live ours, and that made him genuinly happy. He gave his life for every single one of us. He knew that we would often dismiss him. He knew we would push him to the back burner to go about our busy, self-centered lives. We were so unworthy, but he still gave. It is so important for us to remember the willingness that Jesus exuded in his giving. God has given us so much in hopes that we will, in turn, do the same. Whether it be time, money, love, a listening ear, or a strong arm, God wants us to truly give with our whole heart. With that being said, we cannot give with the expectation of gaining something in return for our works. It is extremely important for us to not get caught up in the “what’s in it for me” mentality. Matthew 6:3-4 states, “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” You know what I love? I love the pay it forward movement. When I hear about people paying for other people’s coffee it just makes me happy. I mean how good does that feel! That’s just a small way to turn someone’s entire day around. Let’s start looking for small and large instances where we can give back or pay it forward. Let’s serve by giving. Let’s start a giving revolution.

God, today I want to give. Please place me in the path of someone that needs to see your light. Lead me to someone that truly needs help in some way. Please keep my heart in tune with yours so that I may truly see people’s needs through your eyes. Help me to remember that this is for your glory – not mine. Help me to truly be selfless. Amen.

“But Martha was distracted with much serving.”
Luke 10:40

In the past when I would study about Martha and Mary I would
often wonder why Mary wasn’t the one that Jesus “talked” to. As women, I think we are prone to anxiously working ourselves to death without even realizing it. We become so fixated on making things Pinterest worthy that we often forget to be happy in the moment. To enjoy the little things. We forget to stop and really listen to Jesus. Mary
was doing all of the work. She was working hard. She was making sure that every detail was perfect for Jesus; however, that’s not what Jesus wanted. He wanted her attention. He wanted her time. I know without a doubt that I fail at this daily. Not only do I fail at this in my relationship with Jesus, but I also fail at this with the people around me. Even at Christmas or Easter, I can easily get caught up in traditions and activities. The hustle and bustle of the holidays can quickly make me forget to stop and enjoy these irreplaceable memories with my family. In a quest to make all of the details just right we often times
do the exact opposite. We become tyrants belting out orders to anyone that will listen. Our anxiousness and need for perfection can cause everyone else around us grief. Living on pins and needles because mommy is being a control freak is not what I want my kids to remember. We should not be miserable when we serve. We shouldn’t be so hyper-focused on accomplishing the task that we forget the why. We should be present. We should listen. There isn’t anything wrong with being a Mary. We should all work hard. We should want things to be nice for other people. We just have to find the balance between the two. Proverbs 31:15-17 says to rise early. Work hard. Give it all you have up until go time and then sit back and enjoy all the blessings that God has given. There is a time to listen, to learn, and to love. Soak it all in, and make some amazing memories with your family and friends. Let’s serve by giving our undivided attention to the people and activities that deserve it. Let’s serve by being present.

God, today I want to be present. I want to serve others by listening. By not rushing. By not being a nervous ball of energy. Help me to be sensitive to those around me. Lord help me work hard like Mary, and let me love like Martha. Amen.

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 11:19

The most important calling in my life is to serve right here at home. My family. My children. My mission field. I am by no means their servant; however, I want to serve them as best as I can while I have them inside these four walls. When I use the term serve I mean teach. I mean love. I mean direct. I mean growing little humans that can stand on their own two feet without me. Little humans that will be kind to their fellow man. As they get older, especially my almost teenager, I am having to learn to let go a little more each day. That’s hard on a momma’s heart. I am having to learn that I cannot helicopter every single move they make. I can’t protect them from someone being mean. I have no control over how much playing time they get in a ball game. I am unable to take their state-mandated tests. Man, it’s tough. As mothers there is something embedded deep inside of us that makes us want to hover, to cover, and to swoop down and protect our babies. Yet, I know without a doubt that the best way to protect our kids is to pray for them. We can protect them by modeling Godly behavior in all of our actions. We can let them see us pray, study the word, love one another, and serve with a willing and happy heart. Our children need to see God’s light shining through us because it may be the only glimpse of Jesus they get all day long. We need to serve our kids by creating a solid foundation on which they can stand when we are not there to hold them up any longer. When our children hurt, we hurt. Although we can’t, and shouldn’t, fight all of their battles for them, we can arm them with a slingshot. That slingshot is God’s word. God’s truth. I love what Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” We can arm them with scripture to remind them that they are important, that they are special, that they don’t always have to have the last word, to treat others the way they want to be treated, and to know that leaning totally on God is always the solution. Momma can’t win it for them, but with God by their side they will certainly never lose. If something happens to me tomorrow my kids will remember that I wasn’t the best cook, that I always lost my keys, that I need coffee before conversation, and that I loved Jesus more than anything else. The last one – that’s where it’s at.

God, please help me to be the mom that my kids need. Help me serve them in a way that points them to you. When I am trying to do too much, remind me not to. When I am not doing enough, show me how to. Help me to be a light so that they will be a light to others as well. Help me show them Jesus. Amen.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Romans 12:11

Did you know that the word enthusiastic means full of God? When God tell us never to lack zeal or enthusiasm – He is telling us to always be full of him {God}. Be full of God. What are God’s characteristics, and how can we be full of them? Loving, strong, passionate, fair, fearless, zealous, compassionate, steadfast, and so much more. Enthusiastic people are game changers. They are world shakers. They are passionate leaders.They are eager to tackle whatever tasks lie before them, and they are on a mission to persuade everyone around them to do the same. Are they often in a state of negativity? No way. When you are truly full of God there isn’t room for negativity. How is it possible to serve God with zeal when we are constantly being pulled this way and that way? How can we be enthusiastic when we are absolutely exhausted and can barely put one foot in front of the other ? 2 Corinthians 12:9 states, “But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” I am so thankful for that truth. As a working mom that totes kids from place to place, some days I am just smooth exhausted. It’s hard to be zealous when you can barely keep your eyelids open. As modern day moms, our minds are constantly spinning. We are rushed, overwhelmed, and by Friday afternoon we are downright lethargic. But thank God for this truth – when we are weak and exhausted, God is strong. When we can’t put one foot in front of the other, God says let me carry you. God is lifting us up. God can and will place in our hearts the joy and zeal to do whatever tasks He is calling us to complete, and we can do these things with excitement because we know God’s promises will be fulfilled. We can serve others with excitement because we know that Heaven is waiting. We can keep going day by day because we know that God is in us. We are full of God. We are called to be enthusiastic. We are going to work as hard as we can to make God’s kingdom bigger, and we are going to have a huge smile on our face all the way to the finish line.

Dear God, today give me that extra pep in my step that I need to keep working enthusiastically for you. When I grow weary please send me a gentle reminder of what the end goal is – to expand your Kingdom. To do that I need to be a light to others around me. I need to be excited about Heaven. I need to be excited to serve. Amen.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10

I absolutely love music, and I love to hear people sing. I love the piano. A young lady at our church plays the harp, and when she does I sit back in awe. However, I am well aware that music is not my gift. Although I will rock out to praise and worship music at the top of my lungs in my vehicle, I highly doubt I will ever, EVER, stand in front of a congregation on a Sunday morning and sing a solo. I’m so glad, and you should be as well! I’m so glad that God created all of us so differently. Each of us plays a huge role on this
stage that God calls life. Psalms 139:14 states, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” He made us all different because there are so many different jobs and areas of service. We can’t do it all, but we can use the talent He gave us to do our part well. He knew that it would take all of us working together and using our various strengths to grow his Kingdom. I love looking around at the different people in my life and seeing them use their talents to shine for Jesus. I have friends that sew, crochet, cook, sing, play instruments, teach, pray, listen, create, love, lead, build, etc. I could go on and on. The amazing thing about our talents is that God is intricately weaving them all together. We see just a tiny glimpse of what is happening, of who God is using to do what. But God, God sees the big puzzle. And even though we are so very different, in the end, we will all mesh together perfectly. Maybe you wish you had a different gift to give. Maybe you wish you could serve in a different area. Just know that God gave you that gift for a reason. He knew you could take your talents and do amazing things and touch hearts somehow, someway. Romans 12:6-7 states, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching.”
Today I have two challenges for you. The first is to pray about the gifts that God gave you and how you can utilize them to serve others. My second challenge is to look around at your friends and co-workers. Lift them and their gifts up. Help them feel confident to serve others using their talents. Sometimes one honest compliment is all it takes to spark the heart of a believer.

God, help me to use the gifts that you have given me in the best way possible. I want to help expand Heaven. Whatever I need to do, to work on, let me know. Help me to be confident in the gifts you have given me. Please help me lift others up in reassurance in the areas that they should be serving in as well. We are all in this together. Amen.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24

This has always been one of my favorite scriptures. My father’s service in the Navy definitely had an impact on how my sisters and I were raised. He instilled in us at a very young age to always work hard and to always finish what we started.
In sports, we knew his expectations. Give 100%. Don’t complain. And even if you got hurt you better not cry on the field or the court. We had a team that was counting on us. That meant you showed up, showed out, and you certainly didn’t miss practice. I believe that God’s expectations for us in regards to our work ethic and servanthood are the same. Maybe you feel like you are stuck in a meaningless job where you don’t receive the credit
or the accolades that you deserve. Maybe you are feeling overworked and underpaid. Maybe God called you to serve in the trenches, but He called your friend to stand in the spotlight. This is where we truly have to die to our flesh and own selfish desires. We are here to glorify God. Not ourselves. We are to be Jesus to the world. Jesus worked hard. Jesus served hard. Jesus showed up. He didn’t expect a round of applause, and when times got tough He leaned on his Father. Philippians 4:13 states, “I
can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” God doesn’t want Christianity depicted or associated with laziness. He wants his army to be strong, determined, dedicated individuals that represent hope. He wants us to be light in the darkness. It is so important to remember that our job IS our mission field. It is so important to remember that some co-workers or clients may never step foot into a church. We may be the only Jesus they get a glance of, and if we are lazy, grumbling individuals proclaiming Jesus – well, you get it. No matter how pointless your daily tasks may seem to you, the way you complete them is extremely important to furthering God’s Kingdom. Let’s work for God. Let’s work with passion.

Dear God, please help me to remember that every single task that I complete today is for you. Help me to serve and to work with my whole entire heart. Help me to be passionate. Help me shake off any lazy tendencies that may try to rise up, and when I want to quit remind me that Jesus never quit. Let me never forget that with your strength I can do anything. Amen.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45

The ultimate act of servanthood was played out when Jesus sacrificed his actual life to save millions of people that he had not yet physically met. Jesus gave it all. Literally. He didn’t have to. He is, after all, God’s son. He could have easily cried out, “Father, I don’t want to. I’ve changed my mind.” Throughout Jesus’ short life there are many scenarios we can look at, small to big, in which Jesus clearly shows us how to serve others. Jesus washed feet. He served dinner. Jesus healed. Jesus prayed. Jesus calmed the storm. Jesus was so profoundly in tune with his surroundings and others’ needs that He felt someone touch the hem of His cloak. I don’t think God wants us to inundate ourselves with massive projects of service to others 24/7. This would cause us to become unable to genuinely minister to others with the same dedication that Christ did. I do, however, think God wants us to serve where we are in the best way possible. Once again, the only true way to do this is by putting our own selfish desires to the side and thinking of others first. That may not always be comfortable. In fact, it won’t be. But God didn’t call us to be comfortable. How can we serve others where we are? We can start by listening. By remembering how it feels to be in different situations. We can stay after the meeting and help pick up trash instead of leaving the entire workload on one person. We can cook for the tired, new momma whose baby is keeping her up all night long. We can do yard work for the lady whose husband recently passed away. We might not be able to heal someone, but we certainly can send up prayers for them. Jesus was in the trenches, and that’s not glamorous. Yet, everywhere we look society is begging us to self-indulge. To make more money. To live well beyond our means. To go, go, go. To get the best for our self. I bet the devil loves Americans and our fast-paced lifestyle. He knows that when we are so wrapped up in our own selfish ambitions that we cannot spread the love of Jesus readily, which in turn makes us unable to help grow God’s Kingdom. To be more like Jesus we will need less self and more devotion to reach out and support our neighbors.

God, today I pray that you will continually remind me that I am not here to serve myself but to serve others. Help me see opportunities as they arise. Guide me in the direction that you would have me to help my neighbors. Help me remember that Jesus’ main focus was to serve others, and that should be my focus as well. Amen.

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart. – 1 Peter 1:22

The above verse speaks about us purifying our souls in hopes to sincerely love our brothers and sisters. I think we accomplish that when we truly lay down our selfish wants and needs and seek to serve others first. The fact that we are living in such a “me” society is a true testament to how extremely skewed the real meaning of love has become. Love is now very conditional. There are motives. Strings attached. A love for self. What will you do for me? What will I get out of this? I deserve so much more. Don’t you know who I am? But God does not want us living in that frame of mind. Luke 6:31 states, “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you,” and that verse does not end with an “unless” or “if” clause. It is pretty straightforward. We need to love one another no matter what. It doesn’t matter if we are tired, or stressed, or if the other person was downright ugly to us. It does not matter if they are the same religion, color, or in the same tax bracket. They may have posted something on Facebook that totally rubbed us the wrong way, but we are called to love. This type of love isn’t a romantic,  emotional attachment to someone. God’s love serves regardless of circumstances. God’s love is a covenant that has no limitations. How can we fervently love one another from the heart? We can start small by putting our phone away and reading a book to our child. We can go big by giving up our much needed day of rest to help someone move. We need to relentlessly seek out ways to show others the love of Christ. From opening the door for someone with their hands full, to giving away everything we have to serve in another country, there is not an act too small or too large when we are trying to expand God’s Kingdom. Love is always the right avenue. Love always wins.

Dear God, John 13:35 states,”By this, all will know that you are My disciples, if you have a love for one another.” Help me to live this out loud. Please let me be so saturated in your love that it pours out of my heart and spreads to others. Help me to fervently love my friends, my family, my co-workers, and anyone else that I may come in contact with. Help me be still and listen so I can know what needs they are struggling to meet alone. Help me love. Amen.

 

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13

God isn’t asking us to physically die in this passage. He is asking us to die to our flesh. Every. Single. Day. Which in retrospect is much harder than the first. Why? Because we are a me society. Selfish. Entitled. To put aside our own feelings and needs day in and day out is an almost inconceivable task, but that is what God is asking. It is something that we have to be intentional about daily. It is a task that we have to focus on all day long. It doesn’t come naturally. Laying down our own life is symbolic of laying down our own selfish desires. I keep trying to think of small ways to lay aside my needs/wants to better meet the needs of others around me. A great starting point is just stopping and listening to the people around us. That’s hard because we are so rushed. We have so many tasks daily that we need to complete; however, when we stop and pause we can learn a lot from our friends’ words/body language. In a society that has us going ninety to nothing we often get caught up in what I need to do. Where I need to be next. We miss out on sharing a kind word. We miss out on seeing the pain in someone’s eyes. We miss the fact that people all around us are truly struggling with deep pain and issues that are strangling them. The devil is telling us that we need, that we have to have, to keep going and work harder. Don’t stop. Why? Because he knows that we are missing the one fundamental trait of Christianity when we are so rushed – and that is truly serving and meeting the needs of others.

God, today my prayer is that you would help me to pause. To stop. To listen. Help me to see my friends and coworkers, my husband and my kids, through your eyes today. Help me to see their needs, and help me better serve them in the same way Christ served everyone around him. Please help me put my needs and wants to the side and really focus on others. I want to be more like you, Jesus. And I want to help make Your kingdom bigger. Amen.