Have you ever heard the saying, "It's the little things in life that count"? Many times doing something for someone else that doesn't cost much or even anything at all makes a great difference in their lives.
This past week my sister and brother-in-law were visiting their daughter in Phoenix, Arizona. At one point they were driving in town with the windows down and came to a traffic signal and stopped. There was a man driving a car (with the windows down also) that stopped beside them and as they were sitting there he sneezed. Their grand daughter Adina said to the man, "God Bless You", which surprised the man, but then he said, "Thank you," and they went their way.
The thing about blessings is they almost always go two ways. I mean think about it, when you do something to bless the life of others, don't you feel better about yourself? Most of the time you will feel better about yourself simply because what you did was the right thing to do. You made the right decision, you took a positive action, and you blessed someone else. You helped someone else and many times it didn't cost you anything.
There is a good chance you know the story Jesus told about a man we call "The Good Samaritan," found in Luke 10:30-37. Read the words again and see what happened in this life changing story:
"Jesus replied with a story: "A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. "By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. "Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him,
'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.' "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and
do the same." (NLT)
The Samaritan man in this story saw someone in need and did what needed to be done. Yes, it cost him time and money. Yes, he may have put himself in jeopardy physically and socially. But he blessed the life of this man from another way of life because he saw a need. Most of the times God doesn't ask us to do exactly what this man did, God does however want us to be observant and bless the lives of others.
When is the last time you have blessed someone else? What about your husband or your wife or you children or your coworkers. Maybe there is something you can do to make this day a little brighter. It may be as simple as walking the dog, bringing home flowers, fixing a favorite dish or simply saying "I love you" or "God Bless you". You see, the simple things in life really do make a difference.
-russ lawson
This past week my sister and brother-in-law were visiting their daughter in Phoenix, Arizona. At one point they were driving in town with the windows down and came to a traffic signal and stopped. There was a man driving a car (with the windows down also) that stopped beside them and as they were sitting there he sneezed. Their grand daughter Adina said to the man, "God Bless You", which surprised the man, but then he said, "Thank you," and they went their way.
The thing about blessings is they almost always go two ways. I mean think about it, when you do something to bless the life of others, don't you feel better about yourself? Most of the time you will feel better about yourself simply because what you did was the right thing to do. You made the right decision, you took a positive action, and you blessed someone else. You helped someone else and many times it didn't cost you anything.
There is a good chance you know the story Jesus told about a man we call "The Good Samaritan," found in Luke 10:30-37. Read the words again and see what happened in this life changing story:
"Jesus replied with a story: "A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. "By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. "Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him,
'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.' "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and
do the same." (NLT)
The Samaritan man in this story saw someone in need and did what needed to be done. Yes, it cost him time and money. Yes, he may have put himself in jeopardy physically and socially. But he blessed the life of this man from another way of life because he saw a need. Most of the times God doesn't ask us to do exactly what this man did, God does however want us to be observant and bless the lives of others.
When is the last time you have blessed someone else? What about your husband or your wife or you children or your coworkers. Maybe there is something you can do to make this day a little brighter. It may be as simple as walking the dog, bringing home flowers, fixing a favorite dish or simply saying "I love you" or "God Bless you". You see, the simple things in life really do make a difference.
-russ lawson
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