Neighborhood Ministries

Go the Second Mile-Jesus said, “And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two.” The Romans had a law that a soldier could compel a bystander to carry a burden for him, but he was limited because he could only compel you to go a mile. Anyone would have go the mile or risk being arrested, so it is nothing beyond what is expected, but to go the second mile would be an act of kindness. By doing an act of kindness (going the second mile) you are showing God’s love for them and when they ask why you do it, you have the opportunity to tell them about how God loves them and died for them. In our increasingly secular society, it is becoming a matter of every man for himself. Those who look out for others with no thought of return are rare.

What will you give-Matt 13:44-46-When the merchant found the pearl, he sold all that he had and purchased it. Christ, through His death and resurrection has given us eternal life. That alone is priceless, but He has also given us far more, He has come to give us life and that more abundantly. He knows how we need to live to get the most out of life. If we walk with Him in this life, we can enjoy life far better than anything we can find on our own. Is that life worth giving up some of our earthly pleasures to obtain? Our earthly pleasures will give us pleasure for a short while, but they soon fade, but life with Christ will never fade. In addition, it promises eternal life with Christ. During Lent, we think of giving up momentary pleasures, but Christ asks us to turn away from all temporary pleasures to gain that which will last a lifetime and beyond.

 “Seek ye first kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you”. God’s ways are not our ways. We feel that if we seek THINGS, we will get things, but the Bible says that if we seek God, He will provide what we need. If the things of this world are just temporary, it doesn’t make sense to work hard to get something that we will leave behind in a little while and not put something away for eternity. It makes more sense to walk in the presence of God now and gain that which is eternal, which we can take with us and have for eternity. Nate Saint, a missionary who lost his life trying to reach a tribe of natives said that only a fool would seek that which he cannot keep and ignore that which he cannot lose. Moths and rust will destroy the things of this world, but nothing can destroy what we do for God. As we prepare our hearts for Easter, we need to commit ourselves to living a life pleasing to God. To do that, we must seek to learn more about how God will have us to live. Christ came to show us how to live so we need to study the Scriptures to find what He wants to teach us. Now is a good time to begin a systematic study of the Gospels. Begin reading a chapter a day in Matthew and spend some time after each chapter meditating on what the Scriptures are trying to tell you, paying particular attention to what Christ says and does. Today is a good day to reflect on what it cost Jesus to pay for our sins. He was despised and rejected by men, He was spit on and beaten, and finally He was crucified on the cross, but the greatest pain came when Jesus took on Himself all our sin and His own Father (God) turned His back on Jesus because He could not look on sin. Are you willing to suffer rejection by the world in order to find favor with God? The Bible says, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his life?” Matt.16:26 This life is temporary but if we accept Jesus as our redeemer, we shall be with God for eternity.