Christmas Devotional - Day 10

Today's devotional is written by Jody Sneed, owner of Grants & Nonprofit Resource Development. 

Day 10 by Jody Sneed

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” ~ Romans 15:1-2.

“How can I help?” The CSB phrases verse 2: Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Volunteering and edifying. These are hallmarks of ministry. To obey is to pull on the common threads of ‘doing unto others’ and ‘love thy neighbor’.

For our homeless neighbors, being willing to understand and listen are crucial. The ‘obvious’ solutions can be ineffective and self-serving. Learning the truth of how they arrived on the streets and listening to what they truly need are the first steps of helping.

This process does more than help the unfortunate - it causes us to re-evaluate our beliefs, exposing long-held beliefs and rationalizations for not getting involved. And it ‘pleases’ our neighbor as we begin to redeem their dignity as a real person, not someone society ignores or ridicules.

Now we circle back to verse 1: strength, ability, and faith. James 2 brings a clear statement to using these attributes as directed.

“Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?”

The challenge of ministry is revising our view of ourselves as the ministers - those we minister are in turn ministering to us. Convenience and our pride should be the only casualties of true service.

Strength for service is a gift of faith, not for ourselves but the Father’s glory. This how we can help.