The Shift



By Pastor Darryl Woodson

…how can God´s love be in that person? Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. _1 John 3:17-18

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind. And love your neighbour as yourself. _Luke 10:27

Just like what makes a doctor is what he or she does, or a builder by his work on a building and a friend by what they do, a Christian cannot be one in name but they are one by what they do. How does a Christian attain everything that God has for them? How do they shift from one level to another on a personal and spiritual level? A Christian mustn’t be interested in fashion (name) but in function (doer).  

To analyse the second greatest commandment, I find the question of what my neighbour really looks like. This, Jesus answered in His illustration of the Samaritan.

A Jewish man was travelling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, wounded him, and departed and left him half dead… _Luke 10:30-35

People today are stripped of their dignity and self-worth by the enemy; they are wounded by pain, loss and betrayal from the darkness in the world. Herein is where the Christian fulfills the second commandment; to go out and have mercy, to feed the hungry and to comfort the mourners. I must take time and invest in the people I come in contact with. And so the question remains, how else can you bless others without sacrifice?

A closer look at the lines of our 2015 year´s Blessing Creed,

I know who I am
…His divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. _2 Peter 1:3
This makes you who you are because He has availed all you need for this life. You are in the ministry of reconciliation.

I am a son of the living God
When you believed on God, you were reborn and given the power to become a son of God.

I am a blessing to the world around me
You are an heir according to the promise, and like Abraham, you are a blessing because you are blessed.
To bring healing, to bring freedom, to bring Jesus.
Jesus commanded and sent His disciples to heal the sick, cleanse lepers and give life to all!

I am who God says I am,
I am blessed to be a blessing.
Jesus gave us power and authority over all devils and you are powerful because He made you so when you believed.

The Christian lives by faith and not by sight. What is your salvation and Christianity worth? What measure of sacrifice can you afford for you to be able to reach out to those that need to see the light? Do the things that make you the Christian in your heart which is what God sees, and do not have a name that only men can recognize.