When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. - Romans 12:13
Each day, I am faced with a choice - where will I put my focus? Will I look to myself, my needs, my desires, or will I dare to look out and up to what others need? It seems that the natural tendency of this human flesh is to have a “me first” attitude to life, but I know that God has called me to submit myself to Him, all of me - even my “me first” mentality. When I am focused on God, I can clearly see the needs of others, and am moved with a heart of compassion to help in any way I can.
Not long ago on a winter night in Chicago, I was consciously focused on God, inviting Him to use me, when I met a man named Frank. From a distance, he looked just like any other of the countless people milling about the crowded snow covered streets of Chicago, but there was a tug in my heart that there was a God connection getting ready to happen. He said hi to me as we came close, and I struck up a conversation with him. We talked for a few minutes, he shared how he was out of work, but working odd jobs here and there as he could. Through his disappointment, there was a small glimmer of hope as he shared about an interview he’d had that day and another one planned for the next day that would hopefully get him back on his feet. I shared with Him about God’s faithfulness, and we talked about our shared faith in Christ. I prayed for Him right there in the middle of a busy sidewalk at rush hour. I only spent a few minutes with this man, but I know that it was a God moment, sharing God’s hope and helping someone else out.
I believe that in those times, where I make a conscious decision to look up and focus on God, He gives me the strength to serve the needs of others. Not only that, but God gives me the open eyes to see those needs in the first place. In those times, with practical experience, I learn more about what it truly means to live in God’s kingdom than any amount of reading can teach me.
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