REACH out to those in need.
(Mission FOCUS)
Board Devotional - Week 3
Devotional Reading: Matthew 25:40
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40 [NIV]
We are a church family called to reach out to those in need. But what does that even mean? To reach, by definition, is to stretch out an arm in a specified direction in order to touch or grasp something. If this is true, then to reach has to be an intentional movement that requires purpose and effort. Reaching is not simply stretching aimlessly, but rather a pattern of precise outward movements with the objective to get to a specific destination and touch or hold something. By definition, it is impossible to reach without having an aim, a goal, a clear vision.
As a church family, why should we even bother to reach out? Aren’t our lives already busy enough to deal with? Why should we even try and fit someone else into our packed schedules?
A story told by George Sweeting, in his book The No-Guilt for Witnessing, tells of a man by the name of John Currier, who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. John was then transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee. Nineteen years later, Currier’s sentence was terminated and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life in that farm was hard and without promise for a future. Yet John kept doing what he was told, even after the farmer for whom he worked for had died.
Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer who learned about Currier’s plight, found him and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man. Sweeting concluded this story by asking, “Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message — the most important in your life — and year after year the urgent message was never delivered?”
So why does it matter if we reach out or not? Our why is simple… our why is freedom.
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. – Galatians 5:13 [NIV]
We live with and are surrounded by people who carry substantial weight in their lives. People who go without a promise of a better future. We reach out because we know of a love that has set them free! We are the messengers of such news. In our freedom, love is the driving force that propels us to reach out towards the world around us. In our freedom, our aim is clear, our vision is set. In our freedom, we are called to serve one another in love.
But how… What exactly are we called to do when we are asked to “serve one another”?
To serve is not merely an action, instead, it is a response to the posture of your heart. We must consider serving not from a position of power, but one of compassion and love. It is to serve “in love” that makes all the difference. “…if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” - 1 Corinthians 13:2. We will never understand how to serve in love, if our attention is placed on the resources and talents we possess. Instead, true understanding of service “in love” comes through the ability of our hearts to see someone’s need.
In 1 Kings chapter 9, the Bible tells the story of Elijah moments after he defeated 450 prophets of Baal. That was one of Elijah’s greatest accomplishments as a prophet, yet we find him here scared and faithless. We find him asking God to “let him die,” having lost all his confidence and self worth. Many times we see people in situations where the “solution” seems to be pretty straight forward and obvious. We see our resources and abilities and feel like we have enough.
We see Elijahs in our lives and begin to find ways to attack the struggles we see at hand. We may begin with a pep talk on value to boost their confidence. Then maybe a bible study to help their faithlessness. All great steps to take, yet God shows us through Elijah’s story, something very valuable for us today. Without a single word in response to Elijah’s outburst, God allows Elijah to lay down under a tree and sleep. Then God sends an Angel who wakes him up and tells him to eat, having a loaf baked over coals and water beside him already. Then without anything else said or done, no pep talk, no bible study on faith, no new mission, God allows Elijah to sleep again.
So how did God reach out to Elijah during the darkest moments of his life? God fed him! God provided water and rest. God put church mission aside and simply cared and loved Elijah until he was ready to move.
To be a church who reaches out to those in need, is to be individuals living in freedom. Wanting nothing more than to serve others in love.