“Hey, kid, help me with this, will you?” The voice came from the man who was repairing his car on the street. Although I grew up in that neighborhood, I did not know many of the people who lived there. This man was one of those I never met. In fact, not many people knew him, nor wanted to know him. He was a peculiar fellow, not always clean and not always friendly. Yet when he asked me to help him, I felt compelled to do so. As I walked up to the car that he was working on, I knew that this is not the type of person that my parents would want me to associate with. I felt a certain boldness and walked up to him anyway.

As I helped him with the task, we began to talk about many things. Although I was much younger than he, I noticed a willingness in him to open up and talk about things that you wouldn’t share with a stranger. He told me about the struggles that he faced at work, and with his family. We discussed about the neighborhood and the problems we faced with crime at night. As we continued to work and talk, I noticed a relationship being built with him.

After that incident, we greeted each other whenever we met. We were no longer strangers or just mere acquaintances. We were now “friends” to a certain level of the word. In his book, The Cell Church: Preparing Your Church for the Coming Harvest, Larry Stockstill speaks of a “partnership” that develops with those you serve. He mentions Jesus’ statement to Peter “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (John 13:8). Stockstill says that Jesus was essentially saying “If I don’t serve you, we are not partners.”

Too often, people refrain from relating with the community. Our purpose is not to survive in their midst as a “peculiar people.” Rather we are to lend a hand, work with them, and be a part of the community. We must be willing to give of our time, energy and money to those who are in need. We can look at others with the same humility that Jesus exemplified when he bent down to wash the feet of his disciples. Let’s open our eyes and look at those around us. What is their pain, what are their needs? How can you offer yourself to serve those around you? When we are able to do this, we are certainly on the road to developing a compassion like that of Jesus.

A friend of mine who is a senior pastor shared with me his concern

about some of the young people in his church. He visited some of
their web sites and blogs and was shocked to read what they were
writing. Their ideas, perception of the world, parents, school,
friends, etc. are of a nature that one would not expect.

Really they are good kids, but you would never imagine that they would
ever express themselves in such a shocking manner!

What is the problem? Is the internet the villan that destroys our
young people? They certainly have many temptations from friends,
magazines, movies, and numerous other sources. But the internet seems
the most far – reaching and vast of all available media. It gives so
many opportunities for good and evil. James writes: “but each one is
tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when
it is full grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:14,15). It is clear
from this verse that the ultimate responsibility for our actions lies
with us.

Teaching on the 21 irrefutable laws of leadership, John Maxwel quotes
a statement from Bill Perkins’ book, Awaken The Leader Within You:
“When Jesus taught us to ask God not to lead us into temptation, he
was not suggesting that God would ever lead us into sin. Nor did he
mean that temptation can be avoided altogether. Instead, I interpret
his words to mean that we should ask God to prevent us from having the
inclination and opportunity to sin at the same time” What a great
concept. Everyone has the inclination because of the human nature
within us. Although we may not have direct control over it, we can
build up the “inner man” through prayer and meditation on the Word of
God. As we do that, we can first minimize the opportunities for
temptations, and then overcome the effects of the ones that remain.

So who is the real villan?

I remember the time I turned 40. I asked the question “Does it feel like life has begun?” (There is a saying that life begins at 40 – for those who don’t know.) Everything seemed the same so far, except that I woke up before my alarm.

For two years, I had a lot of expectations regarding the next phase of my life. My most significant request to the Lord was that I would have the privilege of focusing most of my time and energy on the things that I’m “made for.” What am I made for? Turning people to Christ, discipling them and making them soul-winners. I want to train others to reproduce this process many times over throughout their lives. I guess it’s a simple request.

Early in my teenage years, God took a hold of me. The verse that inspired me from that time on was Jeremiah 20:9b “…his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”  

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We would all love to live a life completely free from problems. But we know the reality: by the time we solve one problem, another one is brewing and ready.

Then the big question: Why? The apostle Paul writes in 2Corinthians 1:4b “…so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” God’s aim is to develop us so that we can be a comfort to others. God uses our problems for the overall plan of God in our lives.
How does this happen? Paul goes on to say that “…just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” Just as Christ was patient and obedient to the Father in His sufferings, we are to patiently endure. Not only because of his example, but because it is in the overall plan of God for us. As we suffer, he comforts us. The more sufferings we endure, he fills us with more comfort. As we are continually filled with his comfort, we begin to overflow with comfort. We become the agents of God’s comfort in a hurting world.

Some become bitter as a result of their sufferings. The desired result of “overflowing with comfort” does not seem so common for many. What is the determining factor? I believe when we have the proper perspective that we are “sharing” in our sufferings, the desired outcome will be seen in our lives. Paul said “If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation.”

So be patient in suffering. Reduce the complaining and grumbling. Submit to the One who suffered so much for us. He will develop us to be agents of God’s comfort in a hurting world.

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