Tag: hope

  • The ripple effect of a simple act of love

    Faith in action

    The ripple effect -Concentric ripples spreading across a clear, shallow stream over smooth brown and gray pebbles, with green trees and sky reflected on the water.

    I love to throw stones into water. When I’m sitting beside a body of water, I enjoy tossing a rock in and watching the ripples spread. Sometimes I toss in one rock and then another nearby so I can see how the ripples change when they intersect. It’s fascinating to see how far the effects of a simple action can travel.

    We never know who or where our Christian faith walk and testimony will reach. It could reach people we’ve never met through the ripple effect. I’m reminded of an old shampoo commercial that said, “We told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on.”

    A smile. A kind word. An act of forgiveness and love can reach people you might never encounter. That’s why Jesus compared the kingdom to a mustard seed.

    He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:31-33 ESV

    The grain of mustard or a single yeast cell can multiply in ways far beyond what we can imagine. The ripple effect travels farther than we might know and intersects or rebounds in ways we don’t anticipate.

    It’s why we are called to love one another and love our neighbor as ourselves. It’s why the Bible calls us to treat strangers with hospitality. The smallest act of love and obedience might produce a harvest beyond our comprehension.

    It’s a simple truth that we don’t often consider.

    Let’s walk together in obedience, love and compassion. When we do, God is glorified in ways that transcend our simple steps.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    Like a ripple on the water, a small act of love can reach people we may never meet. When we walk together in obedience, love and compassion, God is glorified in ways that transcend our small steps.

    TAKEAWAY

    A smile, a kind word, or an act of forgiveness and love can ripple out to people we might never meet.

    We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves and treat strangers with hospitality. 

    The smallest act of love and obedience might produce a harvest beyond our comprehension.

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  • God’s Character When He Seems Hidden in the Fog 

    With autumn having arrived, morning fog is common here. At times. It is a light mist, but other mornings it’s a heavy cloud that blankets everything and reduces visibility to a few feet. That can make the morning drive a challenge for many people. Fortunately, it doesn’t stick around very long.

    Sometimes, it seems that God is hiding in the fog. We know that He’s out there somewhere, but for the life of us we can’t see Him. Sometimes, if we’re honest, we wonder if He’s even working out there.

    Times can be hard. We can pray faithfully for what seems like forever, and God isn’t anywhere we can see. We still believe, but we get discouraged, and little doubts can creep in.

    When that happens, we need to remember God’s character as revealed in Scripture. God cannot violate His character.

    He is love.

    Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:7-12 ESV

    God is faithful.

    God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV

    He keeps his promises and never lies.

    God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Numbers 23:19 ESV

    I could carry the list on for a long time, but there is no doubt that even when we can’t see Him, He is hard at work to accomplish His purpose.

    Hold fast, my dear friends; His faithfulness is great and His mercies new every morning.

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    When God seems hidden in the fog, we need to remember His character as revealed in Scripture. Even when we can’t see Him, He is hard at work to accomplish His purpose.

    TAKEAWAY

    When you’ve prayed faithfully for what seems like forever and can’t see God anywhere, you can still believe even while you’re discouraged and little doubts creep in.

    When that happens, remember God’s character as revealed in Scripture: He is love, He is faithful, and He keeps His promises and never lies. God cannot violate His character.

    Even when you can’t see Him, He is hard at work to accomplish His purpose. Hold fast, because His faithfulness is great and His mercies are new every morning.

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