They didn’t see his pain.

They didn’t notice his need.

They didn’t care that he was in the house of the Lord.

What they cared about was entrapping their perceived enemy, the one who threatened long-held traditions and the law that elevated them to a pious, powerful place. They wanted to defend what they thought they understood. Their goal was to prove their point.

So what they saw was an opportunity.

“He went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’” –Matthew 12:9-10

Jesus never mistook a person for an opportunity.

The perfect example of love, Jesus never used a person as a way of self-seeking.
Click To Tweet

In His response, He addressed the man, his pain, and his need. He also highlighted the God whose house the man was in. He had mercy on him. Jesus healed the man and redirected the conversation.

Much as they tried to make it about rightness, Jesus redirected them to God’s righteousness.

While they used men to serve their purposes, Jesus served men to fulfill God’s purposes.

Sadly, we tend to be more like the Pharisees.

Too often, we regard people as obstacles like when we:

• Are curt with people for efficiency’s sake
• Place convenience over kindness
• See other people’s challenges as hindrances or provocation to compare ourselves

Other times, we use people as a means to our ends, like when we:

• Expect people to be the means to our happiness
• Enable others so we can avoid confrontation
• Complain to loved ones so we feel better, regardless of how it affects them

Will you join me in asking the Lord’s forgiveness for seeing people as opportunities to be served instead of as opportunities to serve?

I’d like to be more Christ-like in my view of others, how about you?

LINKUP PARTY opens at 6 am EST!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP PARTY is open! Today, @BethanyMcIlrath invites us ponder: Do we see people as opportunities to be served... or as opportunities to serve? JOIN US! Also for a chance to be featured as next week's Guest Blogger.
Click To Tweet

Would you like to be considered for a guest post on next week’s Linkup, June 13th?

All you have to do is: 1) link your recent blog post, 2) tweet that you are joining us and 3) add our button to your blog (code is on the sidebar.)

We will  contact the winner this Friday!

 

The post Seeing People as People {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Before you start reading this beautiful post, let me introduce you to my new friend Bethany McIIrath. 

I had been looking for a new contributor for our Wednesday Linkup parties for several weeks, praying and asking God to show me who to invite. I browsed several blogs. Looks at several statements of faith. Prayed and prayed, and for several weeks did not have that green light from the Holy Spirit… until I came across this sweet, godly young lady. After talking to her and both of us praying about it, God confirmed that she is the answer to my prayers!

Please take a moment to read the “About Bethany” at the end of this post, make sure to follow her on Social Media and visit her beautiful blog. You will be blessed! Don’t forget to linkup your recent post with us. 

Thankful for each of you,

Patricia

Two men, many years apart in history, were blessed with abundance. With more bounty than they could enjoy at the time of harvest, the men stored up the excess in granaries. They heaped up God’s provision and saved it for another time.

There was a significant difference between the two, though.

One man was generous with abundance.

The other stored up his wealth for himself.

A Wise Reject

Exodus 41 tells the first story. In it, a farmer turned slave turned wrongly-incarcerated-prisoner became a ruler because God gave him the interpretation of a dream. This man, learning from God that God would give abundance for 7 years and then famine, stored up grain to preserve a nation. He praised God for making Him fruitful.

Joseph stored up grain with wisdom and was generous.

So, God’s chosen people were fed through the famine. Not-starved, they were on track for God’s plan to reveal His might to them and display His glory to all the world.

A Rich Fool

We read the parable of the second man in Luke 12, where he is dubbed “the rich fool.” The fool’s ground yielded more crops than expected. He didn’t have room to store them. So, he planned to raze his old granaries and raise up new ones for the surplus. Then, he intended to take it easy- his hard work (AKA his God-given ground) had paid off.

God proclaims the man a fool, pointing out that the man has not prepared himself for eternity. Further, God highlights that it’s vain to store up for ourselves instead of being rich toward God.

Our Abundance and Our Attitude

Like the two men, we have been blessed with abundance.

Like these men, we have a choice over our attitude about what God’s given us.

God likens our hearts to storage space. He urges us to guard them as Joseph did the granary. We’re also told that in Christ, our hearts are fill with abundance, even overflowing with living water from the Holy Spirit.

Often, we see our spiritual opulence as pay-off for our hard work though. The more we’re blessed with peace and joy, the more we tear away at our hearts to find more space to cram His love in. We aren’t sure we have enough and worry we won’t be able to take it easy.

Even if we don’t feel rich, we are affluent if we know Jesus.
Click To Tweet

Through Christ, we:

• Receive the incomparable riches of His grace (Eph 2:7)
• Are strengthened with the glorious riches of the Spirit (Eph 3:16)
• Get paid in humility leading to long life and honor (Prov 22:4)
• Have access to the everlasting throne and God himself (Heb 4:16)
• Can have the full riches of understanding (Col 1:27; 2:2)
• Find our needs completely met by the riches of His glory (Phil 4:19)

Though rich in Christ, we still count our costs as if He isn’t also our security. We weigh out our patience and grace like the supply is limited. Every ounce we give to another is measured to ensure we have enough saved up to enjoy for ourselves.

We store up God’s fruit for ourselves but are not rich towards Him- but what He yields in us is for His using! The stores in our hearts are filled to overflow on purpose.

There’s no need to fear scarcity and no wisdom in hoarding- our abundance in Christ is more than excessive- it’s endless. We can steward and share His goodness freely.

Do you recognize your riches in Christ? Does your heart pour His abundance on others?

LINKUP PARTY at Soaring with Him!

Share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us!

4. Grab our Recharge Wednesday LINKUP button and put it somewhere on your blog or blog post. The code is on our sidebar!

I'm linking up with @BethanyMcIlrath and @PatHolbrook. JOIN US?
Click To Tweet

The post A Tale of Two Men (And Their Riches) {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.