Touch Other Lives

If you want to touch other lives, it will cost you.  

One of my daughters is having a baby this weekend.  They have prayed for this child and are excited and grateful to be at this point after the challenges of the last 9 months.  However, as we all know, having a baby leads to a new cost beyond pregnancy, whether it is losing sleep, changing diapers, feeding the baby and cleaning up messes, and a multitude of other things which take time, effort, and attention.  Yet God has planted in the hearts of parents a great joy and fulfillment in handling every step of this child's development and growth.  Their greatest joy is seeing him/her become the person God has called and knowing they have given this precious one the foundation to live according to the truth for the Lord (3 John 1:4).  Compared to this joy, the cost is of little concern.  

This is a strong example of how God our Father willing paid the price of sending His Son and seeing Him "bruised" (Isaiah 53:10) to give us life.  The price seemed like nothing because of His love for us and our well-being forever.  Transferring this motivation to our laying down self to serve God, Paul in Romans 8:18 shares "...the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us."

There are times and circumstances which affect our thinking and emotions and may even cause us to get weary in doing good.  David, in both Psalm 42 and 43, asks the question, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted within me?" with the following personal instruction, "Hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."  Choosing hope has the power to broaden our attention and help us depend on more than our own thoughts and feelings.  When we set our mind on the "things" of above, we can re-adjust our focus and realize God has given sure promises which go far beyond our present challenges, and we will again praise Him.  However, God also has another reason for us to choose joyful hope over our negative feelings.   

In Colossians 1:24, Paul states that he "rejoices in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church."  We know Jesus declared "It is finished." on the cross and the price for every sin and its consequence was paid in full.  However, there is a cost to be paid if we want to be like-minded to Jesus, willing to lay our life down (Phil 2) to meet the needs of others.  Since God's ultimate goal for each of us is "to be conformed to image of His Son," (Romans 8:29) the needs around us are the sticks on the altar, the opportunity to grow to be like Jesus, as we put others first at the cost of our own life.  God gives us a joy and fulfillment in accomplishing our purpose when we choose to obey Him even at the cost of our convenience, time, and effort.  Count it all joy, as James 1 states, and let this trial process build patience and produce its full work, which is becoming "perfect and lacking nothing."

God wants to grow us up to be able to have true fellowship with Him.  

The Word dwelling in us produces a hopeful, positive attitude and transforms us into His nature.   Be of good cheer as you pay the price of your calling and touch the lives of others.  It will be worth it a million times over and forever.