Helping Others

The concepts that matter most to God are pretty clear in scripture. At the top is loving God above all else; next is loving people. In Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV) we read:

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

If we do only these two things, we’re obeying God. But God wants more than obedience; He wants us to really love Him and to really love other people. He also wants us to do His work in partnership with Him.

We can’t love who we don’t know. Jesus Christ studied scripture from the time he was young. Years later, when Satan tempted him, he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 ESV).

Satan also knew scripture and slyly quoted it back to Jesus in verse 5. Because Jesus was confident in what he knew, he couldn’t be tricked or talked out of it. We also need to know God through scripture.

When it comes to loving people, we may feel pretty overwhelmed. Where do we begin? There’s so much need.

God wouldn’t tell us to love and help others if it weren’t possible. He knows we’re weak. He asks for our willingness to go where He leads and tells us to rely upon His strength. When we pray for guidance in how to help others, we should expect that He will answer.

God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Paul’s response: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ❚

– Janine Pumilia