helping others Archives

helping others

The Most Powerful Way To Deal With Self-Criticism

My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
1 John 3:18–20 MSG

My son Brandon is an amazing salesman.

Over the past five years working for my parents, he’s expanded their business astronomically. At 25, they’re already working on a plan for Brandon to take over the business.

If you know my dad at all, you know what a BIG deal it is for him to hand over the reins!

Brandon loves the thrill of the sale and making his customers happy.

Recently, Brandon called completely excited to tell me about a deal he just made on a trailer sale. A previous customer contacted him in a very difficult situation, having just experienced a personal disaster. Brandon‘s heart was moved with compassion.

When he called the customer back and told them how he could work things out, the customer actually cried, thanking him repeatedly. At that point, I asked, “Isn’t the feeling you get helping someone else out as good, if not better than the feeling you get making a big money deal?” Brandon’s response, “Absolutely mom, absolutely.”

The Most Powerful Way To Deal With Self-Criticism

In this epistle, John imparts such wisdom when he educates believers about God’s love towards us and how we benefit by sharing that love with others. In this week’s verses, John shares how loving each other…the art of practicing real, honest, sincere love towards others will even help defeat those internal negative, condemning thoughts of self-criticism we often struggle to place on mute. Basically…

Helping Others Helps Us

How can you honestly criticize yourself and say you’re not a good person,
or that your life doesn’t count when you’re doing good things for others?

Just as my son’s experience at work and his involvement with 100 Guys Who Care Brantford reveal,

It’s an exhilarating feeling when you help others!

Like putting arrows in a quiver; helping others gives you something to throw back at the enemy when he detonates those negative, self-critical thought bombs off in your brain.

So, if you struggle with self-esteem issues, the advice given in 1 John 3:20 could be the best coping mechanism for you today…. get out of your brain and go help someone in need!

Prayer

Father…Your love is so good! Just when I think I understand how much You love me, I learn there’s a deeper well then I ever imagined. It takes a lifetime to grasp Your love. Help me to silence self-doubt with Your love as I spend my time helping others; not introspectively criticizing myself because…YOU love ME! In Jesus Name…Amen

[tweetthis]Get out of your brain and go help someone in need! 1 Jn 3:18-20[/tweetthis]

[tweetthis]*Helping Others Helps Us* 1 John 3:18-20[/tweetthis]

Will you indulge me? I’m hoping you’ll soak in this verse a little. I found it interesting to compare these verses in different translations and I hope you do. Bible Gateway is an easy way to look up Scriptures online, I love the YouVersion Bible App for my phone to look up verses, highlight and listen to the Bible read out to me in many versions. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Bible Hub for looking deeper into the original meaning of Scripture and other helpful tools they have.

Compare these verses in different versions. I found these versions help bring a different deeper understanding to what John was teaching: NIV, NLT, The Message, GOD’S WORD ® Translation

1 John 3:18-20 BIBLE HUB BIBLE GATEWAY–THE FOUR SIDE-BY-SIDE

If you liked the refreshing in this #SoulH2O devotion, you’ll love my latest Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women.

Here’s a link to the group Brandon is a part of, but they have these groups all over North America. I would suggest googling “100 Guys Who Care Your Town/City Name” to find the closest chapter to you.
100 Guys Who Care Brantford

First Posted: April 18, 2018
Reposted: March 8, 2023

YOU CAN OFTEN FIND ME LINKING UP WITH:
MONDAY Monday Meditations – Laura J. Davis, Soul Survival – Donna Reidland ,
TUESDAY Cheerleaders of Faith #RARaLinkup – Kelly Balarie ,
WEDNESDAY Coffee For Your Heart – Holley Gerth , Word Nerd Wednesdays — Liz Giertz
THURSDAY Heart Encouragement Thursday – Crystal Storms , Chasing Community – Barbara Bradford Ottinger
FRIDAY Dance With Jesus Linkup – Susan B. Mead , Grace and Truth Linkup – Arabah Joy , Counting My Blessings – Deb Wolf, Fresh Market Friday – Crystal Twaddell ELLEN’S PICKS– Ellen Graf-Martin

Read More
Stand Up and Do Something!
```
“But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stopped.
It was credited to him as righteousness
throughout all generations to come.”
  Psalm 106:30-31  HCSB
```
When my Brandon was in elementary school he was seriously beaten up by a group of boys. I remember one of his friends was expelled as a result of the incident. I went to the principal and discussed how that boy hadn’t done anything, but the principal said he was punished because of that; he just stood there and didn’t do anything.

In contrast to that incident, I got to see a friend in action to help another friend when life had kicked her down. A few weeks ago, my friend decided to intervene in a horrible situation. She just couldn’t stand there and do nothing. She stood up and did something. Now our friend is getting the help she so desperately needs.

Psalm 106 recounts the history of Israel.

The writer gets to the point where the nation of Israel was beginning to fall away from God. The men were being seduced by women of different nations into sexual immorality and Baal worship. God didn’t take this lightly and sent a plague. It’s not because God is mean, but because He’s loving that He sent this plague to wake his people up. In the 21^st Century, we don’t understand it but history and Scripture both record how the worship in these nations included child sacrifice.

God values life and especially that of children.

In Luke 17 Jesus talks about how serious of an offense it is for someone to lead children astray, let alone to actually take a child’s life. So as the nation is falling into debauchery, one man with a weird name… Phinehas… doesn’t just sit around and let the problems keep going. Phinny intervenes, the people turn back to God and the plague is stopped.

Is there a situation where you need to intervene?
Somewhere the destruction in a person’s life needs to be stopped?

Intercepting the enemies attack will release the power of God
to change the course of a person’s future for generations to come.

And, as it was for old Phinny, this act of bravery will strengthen your faith too! If you’re feeling the pull of the Holy Spirit to get off the sidelines and enter the field, then stop being a bystander…

Don’t Just Stand There, Stand Up and Do Something!

Prayer

Father…I thank You for stepping into my life and stopping the enemy from destroying me. I thank You for intervening in the circumstances of my life and sending people in to help when I couldn’t stand up for myself. Give me the courage to stand up and do something to help someone in need today! In Jesus Name…Amen

#Dare2Share
Post in the Comment Section below and bolster the faith of someone else!
1. Psalm 106:30-31 HCSB
2. Luke 17:2
3. Isaiah 59:16
4. Isaiah 63:5
If you liked the refreshing in this #SoulH2O devotion, you’ll love my latest Soul H2O Devotional book: 40 Thirst Quenching Devotions for Women.

YOU CAN OFTEN FIND ME LINKING UP WITH:
MONDAY Monday Meditations – Laura J. Davis,
TUESDAY Cheerleaders of Faith #RARaLinkup – Kelly Balarie,
WEDNESDAY Coffee For Your Heart – Holley Gerth,
THURSDAY Heart Encouragement Thursday – Crystal Storms,
FRIDAY Dance With Jesus Linkup – Susan B. Mead, Grace and Truth Linkup – Arabah Joy, Counting My Blessings – Deb Wolf, Fresh Market Friday – Crystal Twaddell

Read More
To The Least Of These

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Matthew 25:40 NIV
My daughter Shelby is going away to College. Since the school she chose doesn’t have dorms we had to rent a condo for her and a friend. There are just so many things to get that we’ve had to find a few pieces used so we don’t break the budget! Shelby was given a shelf from Todd’s cousin. She wanted to get it, paint and distress it, but didn’t know how to. Todd surprised her for her birthday this week by refinishing and distressing the old shelf into a beautiful, new looking shelf that matched her bed. When I saw it I knew she would be so happy and, as you can see in the picture, she was! I told Todd that when he did things nice for my daughter he was doing something nice for me! As soon as it came out of my mouth I thought of Matthew 25:40 “whatever you do for the least of these…you do for me”

WE SHARE–WE CARE

I heard this scripture often growing up as my grandparents ran a ministry at my home church, Bethel Gospel Tabernacle in Hamilton called “WE SHARE, WE CARE”. It started out with just a box at the back of our church to donate food for Christmas hampers and grew into a large FREE store-like portable at the back of our church property. It was open year round to provide for refugees, new immigrants, single parents, families or anyone in need. The building was filled with groceries; clothes and furniture to meet whatever need arose. She did for so many of “the least of these”. At 86 Gram passed away and the funeral home said they had never seen such an immense attendance for someone of her age. There were about 800 people at her actual funeral. People from many nations came and told how Gram blessed their lives and led them to Christ. Gram reminded us often how we needed to help others with her words, but more loudly, by her actions. I remember as a teenager meeting a stranger at church. She had come to meet with my grandma and thank her for the impact Gram had made as her foster mother and let her know that she had given her life to Christ. She didn’t know where my grandma lived these 40 odd years later, but assumed correctly that she could find gram at church! I will never forget the stories Gram told of bringing groceries to people’s houses and watching them break down crying, thanking God as they checked off a list they could not afford, but God had provided for. This verse was the mandate of my grandmother’s life and she lived it out well!
So, may I ask, what have you done for The King lately?
PRAYER
Father…I thank-you for all that you have blessed me with. Help me to look beyond myself and search out those that I could bless for you. May I be your hands extended. In Jesus Name…Amen!
Bethel Gospel Tabernacle-Caring Ministry Webpage

Read More