Willing to make a difference?

It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference. (Tom Brokaw)

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. (Galatians 5:13)

We can make a difference in BIG ways when we let God guide our steps, choose our interactions, and prepare us in advance of each day. What we choose to do with our lives will determine the outcome. Living for Jesus is more than living for oneself. When we choose to live for Jesus, we choose to live for all those he presents in our path!

We might find it hard to please everyone, but God isn't asking us to be 'people-pleasers'. He is asking us to learn the acts of service that will touch those around us. In essence, he is telling us to turn outward and stop always looking inward. It is easy to ask how something will affect us - it is quite different to ask how something has or is affecting someone else.

What is the hardest part of 'service'? Isn't it the willingness to see life through the eyes of another and then begin to find ways to make their circumstances just a bit better? It doesn't mean we give money, although we may be called up on to serve in that manner. It may mean we bring someone groceries, give them a lift to work while their car is at the shop, or even help them clean up their yard after a particularly bad storm. Service comes in various forms - we just need to be open to God's leading to serve one another.

God's plan is quite simple - unconditional, service-hearted, self-sacrificing love. This is what brings hurting communities together, helps families in need get a fresh start, and opens doors to deep and lasting relationships. It is what binds a community together, breaking down all kinds of barriers that would keep us apart. Service might just begin in your own home - sacrificially giving of oneself to another. It then leads us outward to our community. Our world isn't changed until we are each willing to step up and make a difference! Just sayin!