Helping Others

This blog is designed to give people an inner look at a devotional life. Taking time each day to spend time with the Lord. The hope is if you travel on this journey with Rev. Jacob Shaw, you may be more inclined to spend time with the Lord as well. I encourage the use of a devotional, a scripture reading and prayer, then finally a song, hymn or selection of poetry to tie it all together. 

Today's devotional is taken from: Vujicic, Nick. Limitless Devotions for a Ridiculously Good Life. Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2013. pp 137-140.

Opening Thought: Today’s words of devotional inspiration from Nick Vujicic tell a story about the Holy Spirit guiding people to help others. In the anecdote told by Vujicic, a man became a pastor and help many people as a result of listening to the Spirit who began the man's transformation by calling him to help one original person. The details I will leave for you to discover if you ever pick up this book yourself. It is a wonderful thing when the Holy Spirit calls you to move into good works, helping people, building people up and restoring the world as a whole. We know we can't fix everything, but if more people would listen to the Holy Spirit, there would be a whole lot less to fix.

The devotional begins with: 1 Peter 3:8-9

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Second Thought:

The line, in this scripture piece, that I see as a growing issue is “do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult”. I see this retaliation occurring more and more as the world we live in seems to polarize more and more. I also see that we seem to use our pain and suffering as a excuse to persecute those we dislike, disagree with, and differ from us. God calls us to love all people, including those who persecute us. I feel it is easier to help those who are in need when they are similar to us, but ask yourself the question, would you do the same for someone who persecuted you? There seems to be a growing idea if you show mercy, kindness or care for a person who differs from you that, somehow, you are also supporting the things in their life you disagree with. This could not be further from the truth. I, personally, disagree with the use of recreational drugs, but that would not stop me from being kind and helping a drug addict. Showing humanity and kindness to a drug addict is not affirming the behaviour or life they lead it is looking beyond their worldly characteristic and looking for the face of God within their likeness. 

Continual Work: I always find it beneficial for our faith life to find a way to care for others. Look to your local charities first, I think it is always good to begin by giving back locally. Of course, we want to help people around the world too, but local work allows you to meet the people you are helping and see the fruits of your labors. When you know that your efforts have made and impact it affirms the spirit within.

What Rev. Jacob is Working On: One of my struggles is that one of the things I see so prevalent nowadays is a growth in mental illness. I have witnessed so many people in my generation struggle with anxiety, depression, and a variety of other issues as well. Because of that reality I feel I have become rather skilled, I would say, at spotting these challenges in people and I find it hard to bridge conversation around mental health and support with those who may benefit for seeking some aid. As a pastor and as a friend I hope to find more confidence to push past the social stigmas and actually move to help, even if its asking how someone if feeling, and if they want help seeking professional support.

Scripture time: 1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

There is a necessity to frame yourself to do the work God calls us to do. If you are clouded by the negative and darker sides of your psyche, then you will serve the wrong motivations. That means sometimes before you can help others you need to make sure you are in a healthy enough state to be helpful. If you are unsure you should seek professional help. We need to do this spiritually, this is why we practice our faith in ceremony, rites, studies, worship and more – to strengthen and heal or spirits, so that we then can move to the wider world to help restore other with the gospel message.

Closing Words: I hope you enjoyed and were lifted by this devotional time; it is truly important to take time for God each day. By doing so, you welcome God into your life, and in turn you will be able to better see the world through the eyes of God, rather than God through the world's eyes.

Artistic Close: Lean On Me (Bill Withers) click the link for the video. A lot of little thoughts today, I feel being a helping hand can take many forms, but ultimately you welcome people to seek you for support so they can support themselves better. Here is a song I feel encapsulates that message. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiouJsnYytI