So then, as occasion and opportunity open up to us, let us do good [morally] to all people [not only being useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith [those who belong to God's family with you, the believers].
—Galatians 6:10
Our daughter Sandra shared that she was dreading seeing a certain individual because in the past that person had not been very pleasant to her. As she struggled with negative thoughts about the upcoming encounter, God spoke to her heart and said, You don't need to be concerned about how others treat you; your concern should be how you treat them. This message had a strong impact on Sandra's life as well as on mine. How true it is.
We are so concerned about how we are being treated that we have little or no concern for how we treat others. We are afraid of being taken advantage of, especially if our experience with someone has been painful in the past. The fear and dread we feel probably makes us supersensitive to everything that is said or done. We may even misinterpret things and see them in a negative way because of our expectations.
What we fear does come upon us, according to God's Word (see Job 3:25). I agree that it is difficult not to be concerned that others will treat us badly if they have done so in the past. That is why it is so important not to think about it at all.
We are to deposit ourselves with God and trust Him to take care of us (see 1 Peter 4:19). He is our vindicator (see Job 19:25), and as long as we behave properly toward others, including our enemies, God will bring a reward into our lives. The Bible says we are to be "mindful" to be a blessing (see Galatians 6:10). That means that we are to have our minds full of ways we can help others. When our minds are filled with ways to be a blessing, we have no time to dwell on our personal problems. It gives God an opportunity to work on them for us.
God Will Take Care of You
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
Romans 8:35–37
The Great Depression hit J. C. Penney’s businesses hard. Though a man of deep faith and convictions and very honest, Penney was overextended, and the crushing financial pressure took a toll on his health. He had to be hospitalized, and nothing the doctors tried seemed to help. At one point, thinking he was about to die, Penney wrote farewell letters to his wife and children. He later said, “I was broken nervously and physically, filled with despair, unable to see even a ray of hope. I had nothing to live for. I felt I hadn’t a friend left in the world.”
The next morning Penney heard singing from the hospital chapel and went to the service. The song was “God Will Take Care of You.” Penney sat through the music and the preaching, and left a changed man. He wrote, “Suddenly something happened. I can’t explain it. I can only call it a miracle. I felt as if I had been instantly lifted out of the darkness of a dungeon into warm, brilliant sunlight.” That reminder of God’s care in “the most dramatic and glorious twenty minutes of my life” stayed with Penney until his death many years later at age ninety-five.
God loves and cares for us just as much and just as wonderfully when things are going well as He does when things are going poorly. He never abandons or forsakes us, so we can always rely on Him. There is no power that can take away or hinder God’s love for us. We can rest in His love.
Romans 8:35–37
The Great Depression hit J. C. Penney’s businesses hard. Though a man of deep faith and convictions and very honest, Penney was overextended, and the crushing financial pressure took a toll on his health. He had to be hospitalized, and nothing the doctors tried seemed to help. At one point, thinking he was about to die, Penney wrote farewell letters to his wife and children. He later said, “I was broken nervously and physically, filled with despair, unable to see even a ray of hope. I had nothing to live for. I felt I hadn’t a friend left in the world.”
The next morning Penney heard singing from the hospital chapel and went to the service. The song was “God Will Take Care of You.” Penney sat through the music and the preaching, and left a changed man. He wrote, “Suddenly something happened. I can’t explain it. I can only call it a miracle. I felt as if I had been instantly lifted out of the darkness of a dungeon into warm, brilliant sunlight.” That reminder of God’s care in “the most dramatic and glorious twenty minutes of my life” stayed with Penney until his death many years later at age ninety-five.
God loves and cares for us just as much and just as wonderfully when things are going well as He does when things are going poorly. He never abandons or forsakes us, so we can always rely on Him. There is no power that can take away or hinder God’s love for us. We can rest in His love.
Today’s Growth Principle
God’s love for you is eternal and unfailing—rejoice and rest in that great love today.
Be a Blessing
by Joyce Meyer - posted January 22, 2017So then, as occasion and opportunity open up to us, let us do good [morally] to all people [not only being useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith [those who belong to God's family with you, the believers].
—Galatians 6:10
Our daughter Sandra shared that she was dreading seeing a certain individual because in the past that person had not been very pleasant to her. As she struggled with negative thoughts about the upcoming encounter, God spoke to her heart and said, You don't need to be concerned about how others treat you; your concern should be how you treat them. This message had a strong impact on Sandra's life as well as on mine. How true it is.
We are so concerned about how we are being treated that we have little or no concern for how we treat others. We are afraid of being taken advantage of, especially if our experience with someone has been painful in the past. The fear and dread we feel probably makes us supersensitive to everything that is said or done. We may even misinterpret things and see them in a negative way because of our expectations.
What we fear does come upon us, according to God's Word (see Job 3:25). I agree that it is difficult not to be concerned that others will treat us badly if they have done so in the past. That is why it is so important not to think about it at all.
We are to deposit ourselves with God and trust Him to take care of us (see 1 Peter 4:19). He is our vindicator (see Job 19:25), and as long as we behave properly toward others, including our enemies, God will bring a reward into our lives. The Bible says we are to be "mindful" to be a blessing (see Galatians 6:10). That means that we are to have our minds full of ways we can help others. When our minds are filled with ways to be a blessing, we have no time to dwell on our personal problems. It gives God an opportunity to work on them for us.
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