1John 3:16-17(MSG)
“This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.”
It is very easy to sit on our hands and do nothing for God’s Kingdom, but this is not the life we signed up for when we committed ourselves to Christ. It might come easy for others, but that should not be the case for God’s children. Jesus Christ said in Luke 14:27 (ESV), “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” To come after Jesus Christ means we are required to put forth some action, and it’s the kind that he would approve of. We have been commissioned by God to carry on the work that Jesus Christ began. This requires us to have knowledge of the example of Christ and to do everything that we possibly can to follow it.
1John 3:16 tells us of the unconditional love our Lord and Savior gave to us by giving up his life as a sacrifice in order to save us. His is the true example of what love looks like and how love behaves. Ask yourself, what can be said about the way you love. Is it like Christ? There are no excuses when it comes to our capacity to express the love of Christ to others. Because of what he’s done for us, we all have the capacity to love people the way that Christ loves the church. When we gave our lives to God through Christ, we were born again and received God’s overwhelming, unconditional love. The question is whether we are giving out this love in our everyday lives.
Understand that the question of whether we are embodying the love of Christ, and the degree to which we are sharing it, is a very important one for the single woman. In Matthew 6:33(ESV), Jesus Christ commands us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” There is no other way of faith than this. There is no other way to serve and follow God other than seeking His Kingdom first. This is the commandment of Christ, and we must follow it for all things to be added to us. We can’t expect the blessing without the level of love that God requires for us to handle it.
The psalmist prayed to God in Psalm 86:11(ESV), “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” We must humble ourselves before God and pray this continually as well. Our precious Lord and Savior paid the ultimate price because of his love for us. As his sisters and brothers, he requires us to be unselfish, to learn to be of service to others, and to put the benefits of others before our own. Getting married shouldn’t have to teach us these lessons, they should already be firmly underneath our belts.
Jesus Christ makes us better through his love. His love will transform us and help us to be the spouses God wants us to be. Recognize that God is counting on you to make a lasting and beautiful difference in the life of the person that will walk with you through life. It’s important to see that you’ve done this for others as well. Understand that the work you do for God’s Kingdom speaks for the love you have for Christ. God is patient, and He’s looking at what you’re doing for His Kingdom in your life right now. Our delays in answered prayer are actually answers themselves. They tell us to get in God’s Word more, and to do all that we can to represent Christ through our love and service to others.■
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
English Standard Version (ESV), The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“Do Something for God’s Kingdom”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!