People are getting scratchy, have you noticed? There seems to be an increasing amount of friction in relationships in this fast moving, high pressure world in which we live. Wouldn’t it be great if we could turn that down a notch or two? Have you ever been at a restaurant for dinner and had bad service? You plan a special night out. It’s not cheap. The food’s okay but the service? Well, the waiters aren’t making eye contact as they bustle through the restaurant. The salt shaker’s empty but you just can’t get anyone’s attention. So you have a choice: go without salt or let the meal go cold while you wait. Awful, isn’t it?
But I wonder if that isn’t a sign of the times. These days we’re all so busy that … no we don’t have the time to make eye contact. And then we wonder why dealing with other people is becoming so difficult. After all, if someone’s waiting for you or me to fill their salt shaker, they may not be too cooperative if we delay until their dinner’s gone cold.
Here’s the Apostle Paul had to say on this very issue:
Galatians 5:13,14 My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love. The whole law is made complete in this one command: “Love your neighbour the same as you love yourself.”
Sure, we just celebrated Easter and that’s about the freedom we have in Jesus Christ when our sin is forgiven. But the whole point of that is … what?; that we shouldn’t use our new-found freedom to please ourselves, but instead serve each other with love.
Real influence happens when we serve other people. It’s not rocket science, now is it?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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