MISS GOOD DEEDS

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

My 5-year-old daughter came home from kindergarten one day without her coat. The weather was cold and wet that day, and all I could envision was my little girl out at a 30-minute, mandatory recess with only a sweatshirt to keep her warm in the 35-degree weather. It's disturbing to a mother when she thinks her child is out in the cold without any protection.

I was just about to deliver my best speech about how important it is to wear a coat and that she needs to be more responsible and not lose it, and so on, when Aleigha quietly said, "My friend doesn't have a warm coat, so I gave her mine." From now on, she decided, she needed to bring two coats to school with her every day--just in case a friend didn't have one.

My big lecture was instantly replaced with a sense of pride in my daughter--and humility as I wondered if I would have done the same thing. Her act of self-sacrifice stopped me and made me think about my life and my attitude toward giving.

Aleigha's generosity and self-sacrifice for her friend reflects what Jesus came to teach us: We serve God by serving one another. He said, "If someone . . . wants to take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. . . . Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you" (Matthew 5:40,42).We were created for this kind of stuff (Ephesians 2:10). Good deeds.Random acts of kindness. Helping others. It's in our nature, our new nature, to give and do good things. It's who we are.

I'm amazed by what Jesus sacrificed for me. Because of what He's done, I can show my gratitude by giving to others, even if it means I have to give up something I need--even a winter coat. --Allison Stevens

DESTINATION POINTS

* What's the connection between who I am in Jesus and the way I live my life?
* What keeps me from doing more good deeds for others?
* What can I do this week to help someone in need?

LINKS:
Patsy Clairmont: Are You Hospital-Able?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/8w5/8w5018.html

bottom line: Giving springs from a heart of gratitude.

soul journey