need Archives - Oh Lord Help Us

need, love, Oh Lord Help Us, mentor, women, ministry

Need: Realizing the Difference Between God’s Love and the World’s

Devotionals, Stay SaneSeptember 21, 2018January 13, 2019

The world has a vastly different picture of what “love” looks like. We tend to love things and people because we need them. But that’s not God’s love.

What is the very first thing that pops into your head when you hear or see the word love? Your family? Friends? How about your favorite food? Like Celine Dion sang, let’s talk about love…

When my siblings and I want to go out, whether that be to a football game for school or spend the night with a friend, my dad always asks for the 5 Ws. Who? What? Where? When? Why? I like to apply these questions to all aspects of my life. In this case: love. I’d like to specifically focus on who, what, and why.

What Is Love…?

“Baby don’t hurt me”…I don’t know about you, but that question kind of intimidates me. One reason being, my experience with “love” is not something I like to look back on. Perhaps you can relate. Google defines love as an intense feeling of deep affection. However, the Bible says something vastly different. We can find most of what we need to know in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, but I want to focus on the first part…

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5, NIV

Keeps no record of wrongs. That one is especially tough for me. To justify my feelings of hurt and sadness towards someone I love, but has wronged me, I like to bring up past injustices they’ve done against me. This allows me to build myself up and attempts to cut them down. This is just not right. It is not “love”.

Although people tend to mistake kindness for weakness that is never an opportunity to harden your heart, but rather to open it further. I cannot hold someone accountable for their sin when I, myself, am just as full of it. Who am I to judge? God is the only judge who can rightly bring judgment upon us because He has done no wrong.

Who?

Well, I love my family, my friends, my neighbors, the cat that we may or may not adopt… We love lots of people. But we also may not love a lot of people…

How about the lady with 16 items who’s in the 10 item check out line holding everyone up because she can’t seem to find her checkbook? What about the man or woman who broke into your home and stole some of your valuable belongings? God says to love our enemies, but does that include those who have greatly wronged us? Yes; it includes all because we too have wronged others. Who are we to withhold love when it’s so freely given to us by the One who knows no wrong?

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you… But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:27-31 & 35-36, NIV

What?

Sometimes the things we love aren’t things we’re super proud to admit we have love for. Like shows we watch but probably shouldn’t. Or maybe a song most people make fun of but you listen to all the time. I find myself caught in making fun of, or participating in gossip about a certain person, but then an hour later we’re hanging out like we’ve been friends forever.

For myself, I have to question why I feel shame towards loving or liking these things. Who am I trying to please? Whose approval do I hope to gain from pretending not to take part in things that others may not enjoy? Also, we run the risk of replacing God with these things, and even people by giving them more space in our hearts.

Why?

The answer to that question varies greatly from person to person. Honestly, we’ve desensitized ourselves with the word and the concept of love. “I love these Cheetos” or “I love fun socks.” We use the same term to describe things and people. We relate human beings to foods we eat. Relational love is vastly different from that of our material love.

Another way we fail in Love 101 is that we love for all the wrong reasons. Why do you love that person? Well, they make me happy. What do you love so much about those shoes? Oh, they make me look so cool and everyone’s wearing them!

We love things because of what they do for us and when they no longer satisfy us, we’re done. Knowing this, how and why should we even bother with love? We must simply look to Christ. His love is unfailing, never-ending, reckless, jealous, pure, uncontainable, and unfathomable. Love, true love, is unconditional.

Our Greatest Need

Our idea of love has been so soiled and distorted. We tend to love things out of necessity, rather than them being necessary because of our love for them. We shouldn’t love because we need, we should love because we are loved. Our greatest need isn’t to be filled by delicious Cheetos or fancy shoes or even a special person. What we need is God’s love, and it’s ours for the taking through Jesus Christ.

Our idea of love has been so soiled and distorted. We tend to love things out of necessity, rather than them being necessary because of our love for them. Click To Tweet

Joy: Impacting Others with Our Deeds, Showing God’s Goodness

Devotionals, Stay SaneMarch 4, 2018September 8, 2019

As believers, God’s goodness is the driving force behind our joy. We have the ability to impact others with the joy we hold inside.

Joy is contagious, even if it’s for a moment. We have the power to influence others with our countenance. So, what if we all chose to use our power in positive ways? What if we chose to share the love of God through smiles and joy? We would definitely stand out. What would the impact be on our world around us?

A Rare Smile

I’m not one to wear a smile. It’s not that I’m unhappy, it’s that my face just doesn’t rest on joy. My husband’s goal every day is to get me to smile. Genuinely smile. I just don’t think about it. My resting face is typically blank. That being said, a quick moment made me realize how important a smile can be…

I stopped for a pedestrian. It’s not uncommon, as my usual driving route takes me through a college campus. This day was different, though. It was raining. I saw her yellow rain coat coming down the stairs, her arms full of books and coffee, and no umbrella to shield her. I didn’t receive the awkward wave that usually ends pedestrian/driver interactions. Like I said, her hands were full. So, all she could do was smile at me. It wasn’t a quick glance, smile, and walk on. She smiled and kept smiling to make sure I saw her. We locked eyes and I couldn’t help but smile too. I acknowledged her, she acknowledged me, and for a brief moment two strangers brightened each other’s day.

I know that there is nothing better for people, than to be happy and to do good while they live.

Ecclesiastes 3:12, NIV

Joyful Deeds

On a gray, rainy day, I needed some light. One thing that usually makes me happy is helping others. In fact, acts of service is how I show love. Yeah, obeying traffic laws isn’t much for “acts of service”, but I’ve seen other drivers speed through this campus, paying no mind to people trying to get from one point to another on foot. So, I serve my fellow humans by slowing down and pausing my day for them.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16, NIV

Now, I don’t know if “Yellow Raincoat” actually needed her day brightened, but having good done to her, made her happy. I could tell her smile was genuine, not forced. She didn’t know I needed to see her smile, but God used her to uplift my spirit. It’s goodness this world needs, and for a moment we helped each other.

Provision Through A Smile

You could say “Yellow Raincoat” not only brightened my dreary day, but she inspired me to write about joy. God is so good. He heard my heart, and provided sustenance to multiple needs through one small action. I needed inspiration and to be uplifted. I needed to be reminded that there is still goodness in this dark world.

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 13:2, NIV

Our interaction reminds me that I have an impact, even if it’s small. Humans are silly. We all walk around, acting like we don’t need one another. The truth is, we all need each other. We are in this world together. Each one of us has an effect on the other. Whether it be our day, our mood, our whole life, the effect a stranger can have is undeniable.

Whether it be our day, our mood, our whole life, the effect a stranger can have is undeniable. Click To Tweet

Joy in God

So, which way does the can go? Does the stranger have a positive or negative effect? Unfortunately, the latter happens more often. There is an underlying heaviness in us all. We feel the darkness in the world. We carry it around, knowingly or unknowingly. It shows all over our faces, postures, beings. Because we are human, we are prone to negativity. It’s easier to be sad and depressed, than to push through with joy.

Our joy rests in the goodness of God. He is so, so good. We have a merciful, generous Father. He bestows undeserving redemption on us every day. His goodness and love breaks through any darkness, heaviness, or tragedy. We can find happiness and joy in this life, because He is our God.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Psalm 90:14, NIV

Don’t hide your powerful smile. Be intentional about showing joy. Allow your joy to reach strangers and don’t pass up opportunities to allow your joy to testify of God’s goodness.

If you have found this inspiring, share the encouragement…

Consumed: Too Many Choices Distract Us From What We Truly Need

Devotionals, Stay SaneJanuary 14, 2018September 8, 2019

Our culture is consumed with satisfying our needs however we deem best, but we still crave more. We are created to to be filled by Christ alone.

I’ve been asking myself the same question for the past month. It’s that scene from You’ve Got Mail where Kathleen Kelly says, “I’m wondering about my work and all. I mean, what is it that I do exactly? All I really do is run a children’s bookstore…” Except I exchange bookstore for ministry. Couldn’t anyone do this job?

There are days when my heart and flesh fail. I want to get through a Sunday morning with zero hiccups and have so many volunteers I have to turn people away. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. He shows me how need leads to Him being able to show up at the last minute and save the day. God really likes to do that because He gets all the glory!

Consumed: Too Many Options

It’s easy to slip into the show up, fill up, go home mentality. It’s like an entire generation of pirates, “Take what you need. Give nothing back.” Every day presents us with scads of choices. Do you want a small or medium latte? Would you rather have chicken or hamburgers for dinner? Should you go with highlights, balayage or a solid color at the salon? Our options are abundant. When we walk through the doors of our churches it’s enticing to bring those expectations with us.

Options have been a thriving part of western society for the last few generations. As a result, self-absorption is now an inbred disease. We’ve all seen adults acting like toddlers, right? When they don’t get their way they whine and moan. Maybe you are that person. I’ve certainly digressed to infantile behavior on more than one occasion. It wasn’t pretty. I’m glad you weren’t there to see it.

Some churches succumb to giving tantrum-throwers a watered-down gospel that neither convicts nor produces change. At best, it offers a gold “I went to church today” sticker. Maybe we saw a few friends and got goose bumps during one of the worship songs. In our society we are easily bored. If something doesn’t dazzle us we’re on to the next thing.

Consumed: What We Need

Hold up! The gospel is dazzling! The Christian life is never boring! So what are we missing?

God takes our lives and changes our story. He fixes our mess and changes our want-to. Jesus doesn’t charge us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness so everything we need might be given to us. No; He said He will give us all the other things we need.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10, ESV

The early days of my faith were just that—faith. I professed Jesus Christ as Lord and by faith I continued to claim Christianity. But now I have come to know and believe the love God has for me.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 4:16, ESV

He is the One and only. I want to be done toying around like this faith owes me something for being a long-standing member. Need motivates. Rapidly consuming and moving on to the next thing seems to merely produce more clutter. And don’t we all long for a simplified life?

His love heals the self-absorbed ego and enables us to notice and be sensitive to others around us.

Timothy Keller

If you have found this inspiring, share the encouragement…

Need leads to God being able to show up at the last minute and save the day. Click To Tweet

Evan Dennis

We are messy people who make messes, but God redeems those messes and makes us beautiful.

Your purchase helps support this ministry, and others. Thank you!