Day 30
Bible Text: John 13:34
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
I’d like to share a great story that comes out of China that I think is a powerful portrayal of Jesus’ kind of love. It is a true story told by a man by the name of Watchmen Nee. Watchman Nee was an incredibly brave and courageous Chinese Christian teacher and author of the 20th century. He endured great persecution. He was a man who lived his faith and he told a story about a fellow believer in China.
This fellow Christian believer had a rice patty next to another rice patty that belonged to a communist official. Every morning the Christian got up and worked a pump that was basically built around a bicycle. (You would pump with your feet and it would pump water from the river into the rice patty.) Every morning the Chinese Christian pumped that water into his field and as soon as he was finished and left, his communist neighbor came and removed the boards that separated their two rice patties allowing all of the water to flow into the communist official’s rice patty. As the believer understood what was going on, he cried out to God. He said, “Lord, I need this rice patty to provide for my family and if this keeps up I’m not going to have any rice and we are going to be in absolutely desperate straits.” It was at that point in prayer that the Holy Spirit revealed to the believer what to do next. On the next morning the Chinese Christian got up earlier than ever, went to the rice patty and removed the boards, went to the pump and watered his neighbor’s rice patty. Then he put the boards back in and watered his own. He did that day after day and in a matter of just a few weeks both rice patties were flourishing, but something else happened. His communist neighbor became a follower of Jesus, because you see, genuine love speaks to even the most hardened of hearts.
Love, dear friends, is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. It is at the heart of what it means to be a genuine and true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is something that you and I need to take seriously in our lives, especially as we find ourselves in these days, on display to the world and questioned by many. We’re living in a time when many are incredibly hostile to the things of God and, I might add, often hostile to those who follow the Living God. Yet our response is not to be one of anger and bitterness. It is not to be one of outrage. Instead, it is to be the very thing Jesus spoke, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” Because the true measure of discipleship, the genuine indicator, the ultimate indicator, is Love.
Prayer: Lord, I want to be like Watchman Nee’s friend who displayed genuine love to his neighbor. I want to return love to all, to those who are easy to love, but also to those who are difficult to love, and even to those who have hurt me or even hate me. Fill me with the heart of Jesus. Remove any outrage, anger and bitterness in me and replace those with genuine Love, like the ultimate Love shown to me by Jesus, who came not just to give His love to me, but because He came to give His love to ALL. Help me be part of passing that Love on. Amen.
By Pastor Chris Dodge
WE WILL BE OFFERING AN ONLINE GATHERING FOR THE LORDS’ SUPPER, PRAYER AND WORSHIP. Pre-registration is required.
When: Nov 1, 2022 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting by clicking the button below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
I’d like to share a great story that comes out of China that I think is a powerful portrayal of Jesus’ kind of love. It is a true story told by a man by the name of Watchmen Nee. Watchman Nee was an incredibly brave and courageous Chinese Christian teacher and author of the 20th century. He endured great persecution. He was a man who lived his faith and he told a story about a fellow believer in China.
This fellow Christian believer had a rice patty next to another rice patty that belonged to a communist official. Every morning the Christian got up and worked a pump that was basically built around a bicycle. (You would pump with your feet and it would pump water from the river into the rice patty.) Every morning the Chinese Christian pumped that water into his field and as soon as he was finished and left, his communist neighbor came and removed the boards that separated their two rice patties allowing all of the water to flow into the communist official’s rice patty. As the believer understood what was going on, he cried out to God. He said, “Lord, I need this rice patty to provide for my family and if this keeps up I’m not going to have any rice and we are going to be in absolutely desperate straits.” It was at that point in prayer that the Holy Spirit revealed to the believer what to do next. On the next morning the Chinese Christian got up earlier than ever, went to the rice patty and removed the boards, went to the pump and watered his neighbor’s rice patty. Then he put the boards back in and watered his own. He did that day after day and in a matter of just a few weeks both rice patties were flourishing, but something else happened. His communist neighbor became a follower of Jesus, because you see, genuine love speaks to even the most hardened of hearts.
Love, dear friends, is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. It is at the heart of what it means to be a genuine and true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is something that you and I need to take seriously in our lives, especially as we find ourselves in these days, on display to the world and questioned by many. We’re living in a time when many are incredibly hostile to the things of God and, I might add, often hostile to those who follow the Living God. Yet our response is not to be one of anger and bitterness. It is not to be one of outrage. Instead, it is to be the very thing Jesus spoke, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” Because the true measure of discipleship, the genuine indicator, the ultimate indicator, is Love.
Prayer: Lord, I want to be like Watchman Nee’s friend who displayed genuine love to his neighbor. I want to return love to all, to those who are easy to love, but also to those who are difficult to love, and even to those who have hurt me or even hate me. Fill me with the heart of Jesus. Remove any outrage, anger and bitterness in me and replace those with genuine Love, like the ultimate Love shown to me by Jesus, who came not just to give His love to me, but because He came to give His love to ALL. Help me be part of passing that Love on. Amen.
By Pastor Chris Dodge
WE WILL BE OFFERING AN ONLINE GATHERING FOR THE LORDS’ SUPPER, PRAYER AND WORSHIP. Pre-registration is required.
When: Nov 1, 2022 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting by clicking the button below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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