Sitting at the stoplight
He can’t be bothered by the heart-cry
Written on the cardboard in her hand
But when she looks him in the eye
His heart is broken open wide
And he feels the hand of God reach out through him
As Heaven touches earth
Oh – we bring the Kingdom come
Oh – with every act of love
Jesus, help us carry You
Alive in us, Your light shines through
With every act of love
We bring the Kingdom come
There’s silence at the table
He wants to talk but he’s not able
For all the shame that’s locked him deep inside
But her words are the medicine
When she says they can begin again
And forgiveness will set him free tonight
As Heaven touches earth
God put a million, million doors in the world
For His love to walk through
One of those doors is you
I said, God put a million, million doors in the world
For His love to walk through
One of those doors is you
~ Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today. ~
Written by Singer/Songwriter Jason Gray along with Jason Ingram
* ~ ♥ ~ ✞ ~ ♥ ~ *
Over on our Seeking Him devotional blog, we are just finishing up nine weeks of studying the Beatitudes. Y’know, the portion of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught the blessing of having certain ‘heart attitudes’ i.e., being meek, having humility, mourning, etc. This past week, our focus was on Matthew 5:10.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
It almost seems that, in this beautiful song, Jason Gray could be offering up a suggestion for an addition to the Beatitudes. “Blessed are those who do acts of love…for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Living our lives with a heart to carry out acts of love definitely puts us in the category of those who are ‘blessed!’
Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14
This verse follows along after the great ‘LOVE’ chapter in 1st Corinthians. No words minced here: ‘Let a-l-l. that you do….’ Not some things, not a random act, not one good deed per day—but all that you do. Whew! Really?!? When Paul penned this (inspired by the Holy Spirit…2 Peter 1:21), he wrote all and all was the directive. And we CAN do this! Here’s how….
And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:17 AMP
(Thank You, Lord!) It is not in our own strength but in dependance on Christ Who dwells in us. Just as our Lord truly did all in love, so can we! We have the mind of Christ, remember?
But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts of His heart.
1 Corinthians 2:16
And so, we determine and choose to live as Jesus did. As Laura reminded us the other day, “WWJD—What Would Jesus Do?” We are His hands and feet in this world. No longer does the Savior walk this earth reaching out to and ministering to all those around Him. Just as Jesus was the physical, living proof of His Father…we can, too! Remember, Jesus encouraged His disciples that they would be known as His by their love (John 13:35)! Us, too!!!
No one has ever seen God;
but if we love one another,
God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:12
And so we should be living our lives with acts of love as the standard, the norm, the given…truly, our hearts’ desire. We have been enabled…we can do this!
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12-14 ESV
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue
but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:16-18
An act of love can look like oh-so-many different things…
- to a relative living cross-country, it could be a photo montage of your kiddos latest antics…
- to the elderly widower who around the corner, it could an invitation to have supper with your family…
- to the crossing guard who is there every morning and every afternoon to guide the kids across the busy city street, it could be a cup of hot coffee…
- to another mom sitting watching tee-ball practice, it could be a listening ear…
- to your super-tired hubby who has worked extra late for the third-night-in-a-row, it could be some freshly baked cookies and a shoulder rub…
- to the friend anticipating another round of chemo, it could be the promise of going and sitting with them during that time….
You get the picture. It is not in the bigness nor the smallness of the act…it is being Jesus’ hands and feet. It is loving with His love!
“God put a million doors in the world
For His love to walk through
One of those doors is you”Jesus our Messiah was THE Door (John 10)…the Way, the only Way, to the Father.
May we, as He was, be a door for others to walk through to reach God’s love.
