By: Undre Griggs, Jr
Offering assistance to someone in need is a great way to express our love for them. Love can be expressed by helping someone move, making someone a lunch, or even helping someone study for an upcoming test or certification. Each task requires an investment of time and resources; but they each have an end date. When the person has moved, lunchtime passed, and the test has been taken; our assistance is no longer needed.
Isaiah 58:11 (ESV): And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
This should make us wonder how much love God has for us to “continually” work to “satisfy our desires”. How many people would we be willing to make a lifetime commit to assist? God goes on to say that He will provide us nourishment (watered garden) in times of suffering (scorched places). There is no issue that God cannot restore us from because there is no drought that God cannot provide us water. God is always going to be by our side and that means He is someone we can consistently believe in. How difficult would it be for us to live in a manner where others can be certain they can believe in us? Though life can be hard enough trying to take care of ourselves, we should always make time to tend to the needs of others (Galatians 6:2).
Luke 6:32-35 (NKJV): “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
Jesus Christ was longsuffering and willing to live His life in service to others; many times forsaking his own well-being. This is part of the reason why love never fails; because love is selfless, longsuffering, and enduring (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). It is not until we put the needs of another above our own that we can truly say we love them. That is part of the reason we are to even show love and kindness to those who dislike and hate us; because we should be more concerned about others than we are about our own feelings. It is important to remember we know love because God loved us first; meaning the standard is not our own to set, but it was handed down to us from God because God is love (1 John 4:8).
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