Tidbits for Thought

SERVICE WITH A SMILE

James 2:15 “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of

daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be

warmed and filled,’ but does not give them the things which

are needed for the body, what does it profit?”

A very wise philosopher and Nobel prize winner once

observed,” I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and

saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was

joy.” Rabindranath Tagore

Even though Tagore was not of a practicing Christian, the

idea behind those words, in one form or another, are ripped

right out of Scripture. The life of Christ, when He resided on

earth, was one of continual service to the people in His orbit.

He healed. He fed. He comforted. He taught. He led. He

challenged. He consoled. In short, pretty much everything

He did was an act of service punctuated with overwhelming

love.

Service to others, however, is not reserved for Christians

only. When the hungry are fed, the nourishment is not

somehow tainted simply because the food came from a

Muslim. Food is food! When someone is comforted in a

time of sorrow, the compassion is not somehow blunted

because the words and presence came from a Buddhist.

Compassion is compassion! A house that is rebuilt or

repaired after a storm, is not somehow “less than,” simply

because it was rebuilt by a group of atheists. Assistance is

assistance!

Anyone can do pretty much everything a Christian can do to

help others except speak the truth about the sacrifice of

Jesus and what it means for eternity. When we claim the

name of Christian, we make a daily decision to follow Christ

in every part of our lives and to obey Him in all things. We

make a daily decision to have faith in His direction, even in

the storms we encounter and a decision to reach out to others

with His message of love and salvation.

The message of Christ can be communicated in a thousand

different ways. Simply walking through the world with a

genuine smile tells a passerby that you have a secret that

overrides the evil and sin that surrounds you. A comforting

word and some time spent with one who is grieving tells the

world that you are guided by something good. When you

confront bigotry or other types of evil where you find it, it

screams at the world that your mission is led by one who is

fearless. When you forgive the unforgiveable you are a

walking example of Jesus for which the world is panting.

When you meet hate with love, you are fulfilling the highest

calling of Jesus.

When our faith and walk with Him is alive, vibrant, joyful

and reflects the fruit of the Spirit, we are the very epitome of

a walking sermon…… a sermon that can give hope where

all seems lost and a sermon that says, “I can point you to the

One who is love and the One who saves.” Think about it!        

~ Aron Smith