site logo
  • About Us
    • Our Staff
    • Our History
    • News
  • Contact Us
  • FREE!
    • FREE Digital Mag
    • Weekly Downloads
    • Resources
  • Print Subscriptions
  • NEW! CC Churchlink
Homepage > Bible Study Tools > Application > The Lesson and Life -- for July 13, 2014
July 6, 2014  |  By Mike

The Lesson and Life — for July 13, 2014

Screen Shot 2014-07-05 at 9.42.04 AM
Print

By Melissa Wuske

 

Screen Shot 2014-06-21 at 3.28.53 PMOur culture runs on freedom of expression, so not-very-well-directed good intentions are everywhere. 

As part of my freelance work, I write reviews of self-published books. While there are many high-quality, well-developed books, some books I read fail to meet the goals that the author has for them. The books have passion and good ideas, but the authors haven’t studied their readership, the market, or the process of creating a book enough to make the book successful.

 

Good Intentions

God asks his people to look out for each other, especially those who are vulnerable. I’m enthusiastic about this, but carefully directing my response is key. When my protective actions are based on my own assessment of the person’s situation, when I root my help in pity rather than love, I miss the opportunity to be an effective part of God’s protective force. 

To be effective, I have to make sure my primary interests are God’s truth, my witness for Christ, and the love that unites the body. I find that it’s easier to keep Christ as center and to think about how my actions affect my witness than it is to truly love. When I’m not loving deeply, my help can be pretty condescending: I tiptoe around, offer help in a way that belittles, or call attention to others’ weaknesses or my strengths. Adding love to the mix keeps me from being legalistic or self-serving. 

 

Love and Vulnerability

But love is more work than a quick, charitable response. Love means getting to know someone; it means listening to them. It means pushing past my discomfort with tough topics and questions; it means overcoming my inability to sit still and listen. It means stepping beyond my impression of myself as the helper, the strong one. When I truly love, I move beyond projecting myself onto someone else’s situation and into the empathy that comes from participating in the body of Christ. 

Being part of the body of Christ requires vulnerability, but when I show love before, during, and after my actions, I live out God’s care for the whole person.

 

Melissa Wuske is a freelance editor, writer, and the communications director for Stop Traffick Fashion
(
melissaannewuske.com). She lives in Boston with her husband, Shawn. 

Lesson and Life Melissa Wuske
Previous StoryQuestions About Estrangement
Next StoryDo You Know the Holy Spirit?

Comments: no replies

Join in: leave your comment Cancel Reply

(will not be shared)

Search

Helpful Resources

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get the latest news, plus links to new posts at LookoutMag.com directly to your inbox every month.





Christian Standard Media

We provide true-to-the-Bible resources that inspire, educate, and motivate people to a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. For 150 years we have been serving the Christian community with products that have but one purpose: bringing the Bible to life.

Contact

16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202
Parker, CO 80134
800-543-1353
Lookout@christianstandardmedia.com

[contact-form-7 id=”24009″ title=”Subscribe for Free!_copy”]

Magazine WordPress Theme made by ThemeFuse