When you give of yourself

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18 NIV)

 Consistently thinking of others and trying to meet their needs, especially when that involves personal sacrifice, is a tall order! It’s so easy to be lazy, selfish, and self-centred.
 Most of us are that way naturally. It’s human nature to be self-preserving, self-seeking, self-satisfying, to put our own needs and happiness first.
 The love Jesus’ disciples had for one another, their friends, and even strangers, drew much attention and was a powerful example to others of God’s love.
 To become the new creation God wants to make you, it takes a willing mind and heart, a believing spirit, prayer, and following through with many small deeds of unselfish love. Then you will find yourself thinking more of others, feeling their needs more readily, and having more genuine concern for their happiness and well-being.
 When you give of yourself, when you go out of your way to be a friend, when you spend time with someone who’s lonely or comfort someone who’s sick, when you sympathize and help someone with their problems, when you make someone feel needed, you will find that it brings you a special kind of satisfaction and reward of spirit. —M. Fontaine [1]

 There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved: It is God’s finger on man’s shoulder. —Charles Langbridge Morgan

[1] Activated Vol 15 Issue 2