What type of reaction do people have when they hear your name? Do they think “gossip”? Do they sigh and turn away? Or do they smile and think of what a genuine blessing you are? Dorcas was a sincere Christian with an evident heart for God and others. The Bible says in Acts 9:36, “… this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds.” She was such a blessing during her lifetime that when she died, all of her friends wept and showed the coats that Dorcas had made for them.
There will be times when our efforts to be a blessing are going to cost us more than we realize! Being a blessing takes hard work, determination, and personal sacrifice—and even then, sometimes efforts will seem to fall short or will go unnoticed. I want to challenge you to seize every opportunity you can to serve others and to be a blessing to your church family.
Be a Blessing by Bearing Burdens
A burden is defined as “the care we carry in our heart.” Everyone carries a burden— everyone. Just look around your church family—young, old, new, and mature Christians—they all carry some burden in their hearts that you can help to bear.
Be a Blessing by Loving Everyone
Sometimes loving those closest to us is the hardest thing to do. We can give money to feed the poor on the other side of the world, but being kind to those who sit across from our pew? Now that’s a different story!
Real love is not a respecter of persons. It is that simple. True love does not have an on or off switch. As we grow in God’s grace, we will love everyone!
Love always requires action. It is a choice that demands initiative. While there are many ways to express the love of Christ to others, we must determine to put our love into action. Love is not a warm and fuzzy feeling or a good intention. Love is action! We should be like that telephone commercial that says, “Reach out and touch someone!” The power of a simple act of love cannot be overstated. Little acts of kindness communicate acceptance and love in an amazing way.
This article was originally published in It's a Wonderful Life available from Striving Together Publications.