Meeting Needs and Moving Out of Our Comfort Zones

"Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  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 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. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungreatful and wicked. Be merciful, just are your Father is merciful." 
 Luke 6:30-36

I have been very troubled today as I have pondered our reactions or lack of reactions as Christians, when we are presented with a need.  We start by analyzing the need - we dissect the need - we make excuses for why the need - we explore why do they need - we spend  unnecessary time and energy trying to JUDGE the need.  Tell me where in scripture does it tell us to do anything to the need except to fulfill it to the best of our abilities.


As stated in Luke 6 it is easy to love those that love us, to do good to those who are good to you, but the scripture also asks us "What credit is that to you?' It says that even sinners lend to sinners, and sinners love those who love them. It is easy to live out your faith when you are doing so with family and friends - but the rubber hits the road when God directs us to live out our faith beyond our self-imposed boundaries. As a believer we are not asked to pass 'judgement' or rate the needs of others, we are commanded to answer the need.  Who are we to "decide".  God is God and we are not.


I am sure that I have not always done what I should have done when God has given me the opportunity to meet a need.  I too, have been the one who dissected the need to death and then in the end ignored it all together.  Shame on me and I have asked the Lord to forgive me for those actions.  It is time as Christians that we grow up and quit only serving and loving each other and reach out to those who need what we can only give them - the Love of Christ. 
 It is an everyday calling to look outside our comfort zones to dare to step over or around that comfort zone.  We have a higher calling - let us begin today to strive towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.