John 15:9-17

9.As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment , That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you , that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you , that ye love one another.

Loving The People We Are Blessed With

                        

²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.  Acts 17:27 & 28 (NIV)

 I am not a big fan of  New Years Resolutions. I guess because so often what's on the list doesn't matter in the long run - in the view of eternity. Another reason is how many of us actually get our list done? If you do, then please let me in on your secrets , and what you accomplished :)
 I did make a list this year, sort of on a whim. With a total of 6 goals. Everyday God amazes me with the little things he shows me. He meets me in the areas of life I struggle to pursue his best, on the days I often feel my worst, the Creator of the World Meets ME. This was one of those times.

 At the top of my list was this : Enjoy everyday, never take a breath for granted; love the people God has blessed me with.
I am often (or always) more antisocial and reserved than I should be. I know my own faults, and in this knowing I have found the love of my Savior to point me in the right direction.

 Last night I laid in my bed not quite tired but not wanting to be up doing anything productive. When a thought came out of nowhere to pray for a person I had met once. My Dad and Sister both work at the same establishment , often with the information you get from both you can piece together the lives of their coworkers. We live in an ungodly world, full of hurt and pain and in this you find broken people. I think that I don't quite have my life together like I should, and then I hear of people who spend their time partying , getting drunk, and who turn to drugs for comfort.
 But what hit me hard last night was the fact that to the world most of these people have their life's  together, they are in relationships and have a job , some are pursuing higher education. As I compared my life with the life of one said person, I didn't feel better about myself. In that moment I heard God telling me that this was life without him, that I should pray for this person and pray hard.
 I felt overwhelmed with sadness. My creator blessed me with a desire to always see peoples potential, what they could be or become. I felt what God must feel everyday looking down at his creation, the potential for so much better than what we settle for.

So as an extension of my New Years Resolution I am going to pray for a specific person until I see or hear about a change in their life. I am going to lift them up to my creator every time I think of them and add them to my nightly prayers.

My challenge to you is find someone, anyone who you think could use God's love and presence and pray for them till something changes.

Some of us might be here for the long haul, and in truth we may never see the fruit of our prayers on this side of Heaven. I am excited to do this though, excited to bring someone before the Lord for as long as it takes!