"Care"

Life’s enduring moments,

Is where do we invest?

What do we prioritize,

Above, beyond the rest.

May risk sounding foolish,

Or really quite naive,

But it’s all about your people,

That’s what I do believe.

Who are these, your people,

It’s all those whom you know,

Beginning with your kinfolks,

And from that circle grow.

The sign that we love Jesus,

And own Him as our Lord,

Is if we love the people,

And, yes, the points are scored.

In fact the Good Book tells us,

That we can no one hate,

If we say we love God,

And trust Him with our fate.

So, yes, seek first the Kingdom,

Just as Jesus said,

But show it with the people,

By giving love to spread.

And if you find they’re different,

By how they look or think,

Take extra care to show them,

And don’t let mercy shrink.

I guess what I am telling,

Is the answer for so much,

Trouble we are facing,

And how the human touch,

Can make for all a difference,

If kindness, grace we share,

We’ll find life will be better,

If we learn how to care.

“Since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other…” (1 John 4:11, NLT)

We just can’t get around it, nor should we try. Experiencing God’s love through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit changes our lives dramatically. The greatest change of all comes as we relate to other human beings. The vertical healing through Christ is always manifested in a horizontal healing with others. In fact if the horizontal never happens, it’s a sign that the vertical is incomplete. We simply cannot experience the love of God and keep it contained. It will overflow into every person we know. He will love through us in ways we could never accomplish on our best day. If we love God, the surest sign that it’s real is a love for people. End of story.

Lord, let Your love flow through us today, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Wayne Justus, waynejustus.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Wayne, and God bless you.