November 4

Hebrews 6 

 

I love the way the Living version records Hebrews 6:10,  ^"For God is not unfair. How can he forget your hard work for him, or forget the way you used to show your love for him—and still do—by helping his children?

There is no better illustration of how people help others than the care and love shown to Debbie Foster. Over the past months so many people showed love to Debbie by visiting, praying, singing, writing notes, bringing food, cheering, and helping care for her. The great thing is that by showing your love for Debbie, you showed your love for God. And God will never forget even the smallest act of kindness. Never!

His children include all people, including a child who has not yet found God. Right now the church is having a particularly difficult time in reaching the 20somethings in our culture. Our reputation with this group is terrible. David Kinnaman, in his book, "Unchristian" points out that our favorability rating with the next generation is at an all time low of 3%. That means 97% of young people have a neutral or bad impression of the church. This is a huge image issue.   So what is our strategy to change this perception?  I suggest we live out the Christian life before them with joy, grace and a willingness to help others. The unbelieving world is not concerned with our creeds but they are watching our deeds.  And when we live lives that are filled with good works it causes them to pause and consider God. The unbelieving world can deny our theology, our creeds, and our gatherings but they can't deny our good deeds. When we reach out with compassionate, loving and unconditional acts of kindness, it opens the doors to deeper conversations about faith.  

Good deeds are one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal to change culture. "Good deeds" lead to "good will" which leads to "good news."

So your homework today is to do one act of kindness where you serve someone without expecting anything in return. And when you do this, picture the face of Jesus on the person you are helping. 

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"Multiplying leaders to change the world"