We were blessed to have a new sister in our prayer group Monday night. She is a wonderful addition to our little band of sisters. The next day on our group text she said she felt so blessed and so good after our meeting that she felt like going and doing something to "pay it forward." That's a fairly popular saying these days and was even more so a few years ago when a movie came out by the same title. I never saw the movie, but I understand the principle.
I know we have talked about it before, but Solomon says in Ecclesiastes that there is no new thing under the sun. The Bible is always true. Knowing this, who do you think came up with the idea of "paying it forward?" Of course you know! It was God - and His Son Jesus.
Think about it --- everything that Jesus did -- all the good He did -- all the truth He taught - was meant to be paid forward. He taught the apostles about love and service to God. In turn, He told them to go "preach the gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Get it -- Jesus said - I taught you - now you go teach others. And part of that teaching is to teach those you teach to teach others also.
Jesus meant for His gospel to be preached and taught until time is no more. He wanted to continue through the ages with people teaching people and then teaching them to teach others. Again, that is part of what this loving business is all about.
We should love lost souls the way Jesus loved them. We should have the same desire the Heavenly Father has - that no one should perish. We are supposed to sow the seed of the Kingdom. Then it is up to each individual to choose whether or not they will follow the path they have been shown.
We talked about love last night -- but again, Jesus wanted His love to be "paid forward." Did He not tell the apostles - "Love one another, as I have loved you?" OK - well how did Christ love the apostles? Well, He loved them so much that He taught them about the Heavenly Father. He loved them so much that He stilled the raging storm while they were in the boat. He loved them so much that He fed them as well as the five thousand. He loved them so much that He promised them a mansion in His father's house. And then He promised them a Comforter. He loved them so much that He humbly made Himself a servant to them and washed their feet. And then He loved them so much He died for them. But before He died -- He said "Love one another as I have loved you." I think we can see that our love for one another is supposed to be an active, caring servant kind of love.
I really didn't mean to talk about love again -- but you see that is at the root of everything we do. Think of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5 through 7. A good part of that teaching is based on the pay it forward principle. Be a light to the world. Do good works to glorify my Father. Seek first the kingdom of righteousness. Go the extra mile. Because you see, if you are are hungering and thirsting for righteousness and you are being filled -- then go help fill someone else.
The point of all this is - if you are being blessed, then please bless others. It is what Christians do when they realize how good God has been to them. It is what God expects us to do. When Christians - when we understand that our sins are forgiven and we are walking in the Light and have that hope - the confident expectation of Heaven - then we will share God's goodness with others. It will just come naturally. The stronger our faith and love grows for Jesus - the stronger our love will be for others also.
I was just going to say the more like Jesus we become -- then the more like Jesus we will act. Wait - it seems like I just said the same thing twice -- but as we strive to be like Christ - the more Christ like we will be in our actions toward others. We will have more compassion. We will want to do good for others - to help others when and where we can. And as Christians help us -- then we help other Christians and it really does keep moving forward. Isn't that wonderful?!!
OK - let's put it this way. When I was away from the church - years ago -- it was the kindness and love of Christians that brought me back to the church. And some of that kindness came from Christian brothers and sisters who were total strangers to me. Yet, I was literally loved back into the church. How can that be if they didn't know me? Well, those Christians knew God. They knew what God had done for them. They knew that Jesus had died for them and perhaps they realized that at some point someone had done kindnesses for them.
Do you see what I am getting at? They didn't love Robin - they didn't know Robin -- but they showed love for Robin because they love God! Thank you! I am eternally grateful for those precious faithful Christians who did that for me. So then over the years without even thinking about it - I have done some of the same things for others that those Christians did for me.
Christians baby sat for me while I took a night class. Another Christian woman and her teenage daughter baby sat for me while I was an assistant den mother for my oldest son in Cub Scouts. Flash forward several years later and without even thinking I volunteer to keep a sister's children (whose husband is away)while she works on Sunday afternoons. My sister in law asked me why I was doing that. Why? It just came to me naturally to offer to do this because it was done for me.
Just the other day I was buying some toys for a family who had three children. They had recently lost their home in a fire. Many people from the church had helped them with things for the home they had just moved into.
I knew they lost everything and for some reason I thought of those children. I figured they probably didn't have many toys left, so I bought the kids something. It just really seemed like that was the thing I should do.
While I was shopping for the toys, one of my Christian friends walked by. We talked for a few minutes, then both of us went on our way. It wasn't until I got home that night that I remembered the lady I had spoken to while shopping was one of the very ladies that bought my children Christmas presents during the time I was a single mom all those years ago.
I don't know about you, but that seemed almost like a sign to me. If I had second guessed myself about buying toys instead of buying some household items for the adults - well all that second guessing went right out the window. Remembering what she did for my children validated my reasoning for doing what I did. It was a special kind of blessing to get this reassurance. And I do not think for one second that all that was coincidence.
Wow! I have typed this so fast -- it was like I was trying to say everything in one big breath. Maybe sometimes I just get really excited when I think about how God works in our lives!
I didn't tell you all these things to brag on myself; but only for examples to illustrate the point I am trying to make. Paying it forward is not new. It's like I said earlier, when we reach the point that we understand we have been given the most precious gift of all -- the gift of eternal life -- then we just naturally want to reach out to others with love and kindness and goodness.
Christians helped me because they loved God; it wasn't because of me. They were just returning the favor God did for them. It took me a while to gain the maturity and love for Christ to understand -- to desire -- strongly desire to want to do the same thing. God is good and when we realize God is good to us, then it is the most natural thing in the world to want to be good to others because of that.
So I challenge you -- all the blessings you receive from others because they love God -- please love God enough yourself to
pay it forward.
Christ above all things,
Robin
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