Encouragement

A F FORMULA FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVING By Henry Jaegers

by Henry Jaegers
05/01/20
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A FORMULA FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVING

By Henry Jaegers

The most difficult part of sharing the Gospel is getting started.

We are told that" we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us." There is no doubt that we have dynamite in our possession and it has the power to change lives and bring true joy and purpose for living. So how do we begin?

First, it begins with me. I have adopted three principles to live by. These three principles keep me on my knees constantly.

 BE A FRIEND.

What do I mean by this? It means taking the effort to perform acts of kindness to others that involve swallowing pride, undergoing some difficulty to do so, and doing them for people who irritate us and get under our skin. It means to surrender what I want to do for the benefit of another. It means to continue those acts of kindness even when our efforts go unnoticed and unappreciated. Being a friend means that no one can stop me from doing so. They may never accept me as their friend but they can't stop me from being a friend to them.

BE A SERVANT.

One pastor told me it means performing lowly acts of service (like cleaning toilets). I think he missed the point. It means getting underneath the heavy load that others have and seek to ease their burden. It involves a total death to my wishes and desires to help another. The test of my dedication to these principles is shown by my willingness to be a servant to others. It means leaving what I am doing to help one with a greater need. To be a servant means that sometimes I must respond to emergencies.

Finally, the third Principle is important in my relationship with God and my service to others. 

 BE FAITHFUL

When you say, "I will pray for you," can they depend on you to do it? When you say I will do it, can they rest assured that they don't have to call you to remind you? Can you work at your job without supervision, knowing your Heavenly Father is watching you?

Am I faithful in what I look at; what I hear and how I respond to temptation? Being faithful applies in so many ways.

In closing, beware of making friends with the idea of preaching the Gospel to them. Eventually, they will open the door themselves when they begin to wonder why you are so different. We will talk about that as we continue, but for now, ask God to lead you to someone to whom you can be a friend.

Do things you both enjoy doing together. It may mean enjoying his beating you in bowling or Golf. Then be patient for God to do His work.