September 20
Scripture: Matt 25:45
Source author: Steven Thompson
September 20
A Lesson of Love When you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me. —Matthew 25:45
I had been teaching a sixth-grade Bible class. My theme for the two-week course was giving your life for Christ. I used the examples of many of Jesus’s disciples and others who were martyred for doing God’s will. I soon began to imagine how I would give my life for Christ if such circumstances arose. During this period of time, a conflict arose with an extended family member. I went to great extremes to get my way in the dispute, which ultimately hurt the other person’s feelings. After the incident, I again began to meditate on my willingness to die for the Lord when He challenged me with this thought: “You say you would die for me, and yet you wouldn’t give up your rights or desires for one of your own family members.” That day I learned an important lesson about loving God. Few of us will ever be martyred for Christ, but often we are asked to love Jesus by performing acts of kindness for others that might inconvenience us.
The truest test of our love for God is often found in our willingness to surrender our rights and desires. — Steven Thompson —