By Pastor Andrew Farland
There have been multiple times where I was feeling down and felt like I had nothing to give!
I have a mentor who speaks into my life, and when I’m going through a hard time, one of his pieces of advice is:
“If you are having a bad day, go help someone else that’s less fortunate”.
The first time he told me to do this, I thought he was crazy. “How am I going to give away something I don’t have?” I thought, But then I tried it. And guess what? It worked! Here is the lesson I learned:
“When you serve others with God’s gifts, you draw out of His energy and His capacity, not your own!”
4 years ago, I was in Uganda reading my bible, preparing for a sermon when I came across one of the most profound verses I had ever read. I want to share it with you today to illustrate how God empowers us to serve others!
1 Corinthians 14:12
“Since you are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church.”
We ought not to look for the Spirits movements for the sake of having goosebumps, but for building up others. The truth is when you use your gifts to help others, it not only refreshes them it refreshes you. Proverbs 11:25 says “Those who refresh others will also be refreshed”
Feeling discouraged today? Encourage someone else. Needing finances for a project, donate some of what you have to someone else who needs a helping hand. To the world, it makes no sense. But if we want to be refreshed, we can go out and make a difference in someone else’s life and refresh others. This is one of the ways I regularly connect with God.
Has it been a while since you’ve felt connected to God? Are you willing to do whatever it takes on your part to get reconnected? Put one or all of these four keys to use and in no time, I believe you will unlock that wonderful connection with God again, feeling His presence peace, and purpose in your life!
Proverbs 11:25
“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
Be encouraged today because God is with you.