Becoming a Difference Maker, Part 5

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  If anyone has material possessions and see his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?"  (I John 3:16-17, NIV).

The Holy Spirit continues to convict my heart concerning the challenge that the modern day church is facing.  Do I truly have a strong desire to let my light shine so that people can recognize the love of God that should be at work in my life?  Each of us will be presented with daily opportunities to share those "blessings" that God has so freely deposited in our lives.  What am I (we) doing will all that God has released in our lives?  I am not just speaking concerning the blessings of possessions; no, I am referring to those spiritual blessings that God has so freely released in my life.  Christ loved me before I ever understood the need to love myself.  Christ loved me even when I was living in the spirit of rebellion and disobedience.  Christ loved me even when I would grow cold and indifferent toward His Word and toward the working of His Spirit in my life.  What am I (we) doing with the awesome love of God that has been shared with us?  We must become "active" witnesses of the mercy and love of God so that the world can recognize that Christianity is more than just a group of people who try to live under a code of spiritual conduct.  Christians are called to demonstrate and release the love of God to a world that needs to sense and feel the genuine love of God.  We must stop ignoring those opportunities to share the "true" love of God with people whose lives are in disarray and trouble.  We must lift our eyes and see the field of labor and harvest in which God has planted us.  (See John 4:34-35).