“The eyes of the Lord”

 

 

The concerned and compassionate eyes of the Lord are always on us, penetrating even our darkest night. From the moment we are conceived and every day thereafter, He sees us .The Lord keeps His eyes on His children to protect and preserve them and lead them home. May we pray daily for the Lord to equip us “with everything good” so that we “may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ” Hebrews 13:20-21

 

“Do good and forget, Serve Others and You will be comforted” As You Find your Way!

 

The above quote prompts me to show love to a former mentor who brought me so much joy by introducing me to a world of different literature genre like, “The Bridge Builder”. A specific type which I didn’t much care for, unless it was from the likes of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni or Maya Angelou.

 

 You see, I’m sitting here crying bittersweet happy tears reading about how coach Campbell  football coach at Iowa State University, gave a goodbye to his senior players by reading that same poem, “The Bridge Builder, by Will Allen Dromore which is a simple poem with a clear moral message about caring for others when there is no obligation to do so. The poem depicts an old man who, close to the end of his days, decides to spend his time building a bridge he does not need. 

 

Often, I think of this type of caring spirit, which is the idea that “love is of God” that’s expressed as “love is from God” and “love comes from God” . In 1 John 4:12 we are taught by John that ,“but if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us” . This is why it is so easy for me to serve even though; I do not need to.

 

That poem, the Bridge Builder along with “Invictus”, “If We Must Die”, and “If”, woke up that passion for me as a spiritual servant,  as a High School coach. Often when I read those poems to my former players in High School. I spoke about having a, “one Heart Beat” as a team.  Meaning you should always treat your teammates never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end with love in mind, “brotherly love”.

 

What a great concept in today’s world as we hear the question What does it mean to flourish or be the best You, each day as we respond to our feelings and desires towards various situations, “To the sounds of a heavy street”, in this world. Character, “the excellence of moral beings.” 

 

By nature, human love is selfish and conditional. We love those who love us. We love people who are kind to us and who offer some benefit to us. But Jesus taught, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. . . . Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” 1 John 3:16. 

love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? 

 

Even sinners do that” Luke 6:27-33. Can you love selflessly, not expecting anything in return?  I sometimes struggle with what Jesus teaches us .That we should not give to our friends and rich neighbors who can pay them back but instead to the needy and poor who cannot repay Luke 14:12. He also said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13. Serving others requires this kind of love. Mercy, compassion, and selfless love are not easy—in fact, humanly speaking, they are impossible to do with a completely righteous attitude  and a Positive-Mental-Attitude. Romans 3:10-11. But God is faithful to provide strength, joy, and cheer if we ask Him; 2 Corinthians 9:7 ,With His strength make a poem sing in your heart in other words ,“Love others”. The essence of  Love is agape love a goodwill, benevolence, and willful delight in the object of love. Agape love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty moral nature and strong character. Agape love is beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13.

 

The type of love that characterizes God is not a sappy, sentimental feeling such as we often hear portrayed. God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely, not because we deserve to be loved or because of any excellence we possess, but because it is His nature to love and He must be true to His nature. We are to love others with agape love, whether they are fellow believers  John 13:34 or bitter enemies Matthew 5:44.  

 

This love does not come naturally to us. Because of our fallen nature, we are incapable of producing such a love. If we are to love as God loves, that love—that agape—can only come from its Source. This is the love that “has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” when we became His children Galatians 5:22. “.

 

WoW, Happy Birthday for the prize awaiting us in eternity, so we can endure earthly difficulties while remaining full of hope  2 Corinthians 4:17. 
Recognizing there is “a time to keep and a time to throw away” means living with an eternal perspective. We may acquire things while on earth, but we must always be prepared to let them go.

 

When our joy and hope are based on that which cannot be taken away, we have found true happiness, and God is pleased. In God We live, move and have our being!

 

God Bless You and This Ministry!