Blessing God’s world begins with having the right heart. And a right heart is based on a right understanding.
God loves people who don’t love Him. All around us are hurting people who think that no one–including God (or sometimes especially God)–loves them. People need to know that they are loved.
God expects us to love who don’t love Him. Anyone who says he loves God and yet speaks or acts with disdain toward lost people is a liar. The person who truly loves God also loves who He loves. One of the best indicators of true spiritual maturity is a person’s attitude toward those without Christ.
One person in the church said, “We don’t need to be concerned about people in our community. We should just take care of our own.” What a selfish attitude! If Jesus had that attitude toward us, none of us would be saved. Jesus said, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Matt. 5:46-47, NASB).
Blessing God’s world means we join God in His work. Some churches should have a mission statement that reads, “We come. We sit. We leave.” But we exist to transforming lives in Christ. We do this by helping people believe in God, belong to God’s family, and bless God’s world. And if we’re going to get serious about fulfilling our calling, we must regularly get beyond the four walls of the church and into our community. Instead of sitting in our pews saying, “Y’all come,” hoping beyond hope that someone might show up, we need to engage the people around us with the blessings of God. What would Jesus be doing? Where would Jesus be?
An interesting phenomenon happens when God’s people get into the community and share His love: They discover that God is there. God is at work. What we need to realize is that God is already at work before we get to our community. God isn’t waiting for His people to work in the world. Jesus said, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working” (John 5:17, NASB).
Why is God already at work? Because He loves to bless people. He blesses people when they don’t even realize it. The theologian Augustine said, “God is more anxious to bestow His blessings on us than we are to receive them.”
And why does God bless people? Why is He kind and benevolent? Why is He forgiving and loving and patient? Because He desires to bring salvation to people. Romans 2:4 (NCV) says, “God is kind to you so that you will change your hearts and lives.”
This is the work of God: the harvest. Look at how Jesus referred to God, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38, HCSB).
Do you want to make a difference in someone’s life? It’s not hard. Just bless them with your words or works. Pray for them. Point them to Christ.
