Do You REALLY CARE?

Good Day Dearest Saints, Most of the time, I love to encourage so people are empowered to know that there is HOPE for each one by sharing my life and the Hope He has given me. But aside from just encouraging, I feel I need to Challenge each one including myself, and I sense that this time to challenge each one is NOW. Occasionally, I hear familiar statements that are either encouraging, thought-provoking or messages to challenge us. One of my favorite sayings I often hear is "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care"! The greatest sermons of all time is not necessarily preached behind the pulpit, its demonstrating Christ to others from what we have read in scriptures or heard from preachers and are living it out. It's not enough to hear a sermon and just go home and do nothing with what we have read or heard. We need to share what we know. I have to admit, for myself, I feel I am educated more then my obedience which is a big OUCH for me. So this is equally intended for myself, if not, more so. When I think about that initial statement, I have to ask myself: What action(s) am I portraying to show that I care for one another? What type of action(s) am I failing to portray that demonstrates my lack of caring one for another? Are there any actions I am doing that show my lack of care for one another? People are most encouraged to do what is right when they know that there is someone who truly cares. It is not going to matter how many sermons he/she hears in church or sermons watched on TV, it is going to count when they know that there is someone who cares for them. I often think it's the little things that really count and also the little gestures we show and perhaps fail to show that speaks volumes. Just like the sins of remission and sins of omission. The sins of remission is when someone commits a sin by committing a sinful action, and the sin of omission is failing to do what we know to do what is right, but don't it (James 4:17). Both are equally sinful which is what lead Christ to the Cross in the first place who took those huge spikes in our place. When someone spends time to encourage, does anyone even acknowledge for one moment and appreciate what others may be doing? I often question why it seems hard for people to say a simple "Thank You" or just to say how we appreciate them. Why is it hard for people to do that? Like I said, I am going to be challenging about this. I like the fact that the Apostle Paul says to various Churches "I thank God for each of you by keeping the faith" (1 Cor 1:4-9). He not only appreciated each one, but acknowledge God first and foremost by thanking Him. This tells me that appreciating one another goes hand in hand with thanking God. Appreciating one another encourages one another and we are told to encourage each other while it is called TODAY so we won't be hardened by sins deceitfulness (Heb 3:13). Paul started to entreat the Corinthian Church in the following verses. But again, he always starts and ends by encouraging them and thanking God for them. Therefore, I want to now say that I appreciate all the Pastors that put in hours and hours of prayer time and study notes to preach an anointed message to benefit and equip the hearers. I appreciate all those who evangelize to share the gospel and be used of God to draw people to Christ. I appreciate a lot of those in missionary work around the world showing the love of Christ by meeting physical and spiritual needs to others. Especially in parts of the world that don't live in a comfortable society that we North Americans are often accompanied by. I appreciate those of you who spend hours in quiet time studying and praying and interceding one for another. I love to encourage people. But often times, like myself...we need to be challenged and admonish each one to "Get out of our comfort zone". God tells us in His Word that iron sharpens iron (Prov 27:17). If we truly appreciate one another, do we ever just give a call to one another just to see how they are doing? Do we ever just email someone whom you know is hurting and let them know you are thinking and praying for them? When we see someone alone in a crowd, do we go out of our way to share a warm smile, a handshake and spend a little time with them? These are a lot of very small gestures to tell others that WE CARE. It breaks my heart when I hear about outsiders coming into Church and hearing a sermon but not greeted by anyone to just acknowledge their presence. The sad part about it is that it only takes very little effort to do these kind gestures. Even amongst the crowds, Jesus always acknowledged people. I like the story about how Christ noticed Zacchaeus who was sitting in a tree and gave special attention to him while he was alone in the tree (Luke 19:3-5). We are told to be imitators of Christ (Eph 1:5) and as Paul imitated Christ, so should we. The scriptures tell us to be DOERs of the Word and not just HEARERs where it describes a man who is only a hearer of the Word and looks in a mirror and then walking away forgetting what he looks like (James 1:23,24). God tells us that not everyone who calls Me Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom, but those who DO the WILL of My Father (Matt 7:21). If people would understand that the amount of our love for the Lord goes hand in hand with how we treat the least of the Brethren (Matt 25:40). I not only challenge each one, this is also a challenge for me like every message I put together to go beyond what we normally do and demonstrate Christ more. I spend hours upon hours to put together these messages as a way of telling each one that I do this because "I DO CARE" and want each of you to be most blessed because of it. I want to be able to share the experience of my life to others because of the HOPE God has truly given me to really live. When we care about God, care about being Representatives of Him and Agents of Light for Him in this dark world, we will care about one another. The amount of love we have for God is the amount of love we have for one another. Too many people in Churches sing and say they love God, but is often questionable about loving others. The sign of the cross not only goes Up and Down, but across to one another. I put this challenge out to you (and myself) to truly demonstrate to one another that others can say of us "I SEE THAT YOU DO CARE". I put this challenge out all because I do it out of love and concern for each one and because "I DO CARE". Do you care? In the Matchless Name of Jesus Richard Ministry Encourager Answers2Prayer http://sites.google.com/site/greatestbuilderforourlife http://www.answers2prayer.org/ For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal 3:27)