What Great Love

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

 

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Acts 2:21

 

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

 Acts 4:12

 

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

 

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

 

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Romans 10:9-10

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

 

Because of God’s great love for us, may it make a difference in our words, deeds, thoughts, and actions as we share His love with others. 

Kindness Challenge

Katie Amodei was the kind of person who saw an injustice and wanted to fix it. She volunteered at the food bank and helped raise money, through a charity run, so people in her community could have food. Katie was working as a waitress. She had recently completed her EMT training and was in the process of looking for a job. In 2014, a month before her 30th birthday, Katie was killed in a car accident. When going through her purse, her parents and older sister, Kristina, found over $100 in tip money in Katie’s purse. They wanted to do something special with the money, in her memory.

Kristina Ulmer is a high school English teacher in Horsham, Pennsylvania. Her 9th grade classes were in the process of reading Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. They discussed the importance of being intentional about staying connected. That’s when Kristina came up with a plan to honor her sister. She took the $100 and added money of her own so she could give each student $20. Mrs. Ulmer instructed, “I told them to go out and do an act of kindness with it in the hopes that they would realize how important it is for us to be connected to each other and remain connected to each other and care about each other.” She also told the students the project was to honor her sister. The students:

Wrapped gifts for school’s Adopt-a Family program

            Donated items to a woman’s shelter

            Put money together for a struggling homeless person

            Decorated a neighbor’s front porch

            Sewed walker caddies for seniors at the nursing home

            Helped stroke victims

After the kindness project was completed, each student made a video of how they used the money and what they learned.

 

Mrs. Ulmer thought this would be a one-time project, but as word spread money was donated each year for the kindness challenge to continue. Because of the generous donations, Kristina formed the $20 Kindness Challenge Foundation to help other teachers carry out a project with their students.

 

May we, too, be intentional about staying connected and sharing kindness. 

 

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:12

Beyond the Expected

Jeannettea Hollingshead was at Kroger in Athens, Ohio, to pick up a cake for her Gramma’s 90th birthday celebration. The cashier asked about the pretty cake. When told about her Gramma, the young man commented, “Wait right here just a minute please!” He came back with a rose that he had purchased in the flower department to give to help her celebrate. Jeannettea mentioned that her grandmother was in the store so he was able to give her the flower and wish her a special day in person. She commented, “This young man, Wes, went above and beyond, and his act of kindness really made Gramma’s day.”

A teenager in Chicago kept slipping into the X-Sport Fitness Center and using its equipment, without paying. Officer Mario Valenti was called to take care of the matter. Upon questioning the young man, Officer Valenti found out that the boy’s mother could no longer afford the membership and he just wanted to play basketball. Instead of fining the teenager, the policeman paid the $150 membership with his own money. The corporate office was so touched by the officer’s gesture they added an extra two years to the contract. Officer Valenti said, “At the end of the day. It’s not about gratitude. Most of us took this job to help people, not to hurt them. For the most part, the job is dealing with good people having a very bad day, so you’re not seeing the best side of people…. I’d rather have him playing ball than being on the street and possibly getting into trouble.”

 

A kind act, by a UPS delivery man, was caught on the home security camera. While delivering a package to the front porch, the driver noticed a child’s bicycle with a loose chain. He took the time to put the chain back on the bike before returning to the truck.

 

Josh White is the owner of a coffee shop in Portland, Oregon. When he heard that people were losing food benefits, he realized children might be going without breakfast or lunch. Josh announced that anyone could come in for a free breakfast burrito and a cup of coffee. He wanted people to know they were seen and cared for. Even if he went broke, White wanted to make sure the children did not go hungry. When people in his area found out what he was doing, it inspired over 11,000 people to help out. They raised $310,000!

 

May we, too, be willing to do more than is expected.

 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

Colossians 3:23

Thoughts to Consider

 

“Humility comes from proximity.

Stay closer to God than to your

accomplishments.

Celebrate the giver more than the gift.”

~ Shelley Giglio

 

 

“Use your voice for kindness,

your ears for compassion,

your hands for charity,

and your Heart for Love.”

~ Anonymous

 

 

“There is nothing more

beautiful than someone

who goes out of their

way to make life

beautiful for others.”

~ Mandy Hale

 

 

“Life is 10% what

happens to you and

90% how you respond to it.”

~ Lou Holtz

 

 

“Master & Lord,

teach me to value what

You value,

to love what

You love.”

~ Elisabeth Elliot

 

 

“Before you speak,

let your words

pass through three gates.

Is it true?

Is it necessary?

Is it kind?”

~ Rumi

 

 

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s

load with today’s strength –

carrying two days at once.

It is moving into

tomorrow ahead of time.”

~ Corrie ten Boom

 

 

“It’s not how much

scripture you know,

it’s how much

scripture you live.”

~ Toby Mac

 

 

“You change your life

by changing your heart.”

~ Max Lucado

 

 

“All we get

is time and choices.

Be wise

with both.”

~ Madhav Sharma

 

 

And after thinking, may our thoughts turn into action.

 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

Philippians 4:8