The Will of My Father

"And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.'” (Matthew 12:50)

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus told his disciples, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). We are called to love everyone that Jesus places in our lives. Sometimes it is easier to love a stranger because often times it is those nearest to us that cause the deepest wounds. Loving those that have hurt us deeply requires the love of Christ. It is only with God’s grace that we are able to forgive completely.

Being a disciple requires courage. Jesus commands everything from his followers. We are not to be lukewarm Christians but on fire with our love for the Lord! When we truly love Christ, our work is a manifestation of that love. God has a plan for each of us and no one else can do what we are called to do. We can’t compare ourselves to others. We have to continually look to Christ and discern His will for us. Am I doing all that God is asking of me? When we look around at what others are doing, pride may tell us that we’ve sacrificed more than others. Friends may say you’ve given enough, that it’s someone else’s turn now. But Jesus expects us to give more. When Jesus commissioned the Twelve, he told them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.” (Luke 9:3) He was forcing them to trust God. God would have to come through for them because they had nothing else to fall back on. When people gladly sacrifice their time or comfort it is obvious that they trust in the promises of God.

David Timothy was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Western Michigan University and had a fulfilling career in the field of insurance where he specialized in pension organization. David was never homeless himself, but he grew up in a home where food was scarce and he experienced hunger first-hand. This gave him a tremendous compassion for the homeless and their daily struggle to find food to eat. So after many prayers he took a leap of faith and started the SoupMobile in 2003, here in Dallas. In that first year the SoupMobile served 5,000 meals. Today it serves more than 200,000 meals per year.

“Why is it that the story of someone who has actually done what Jesus commands resonates deeply with us, but we then assume we could never do anything so radical or intense? Or why do we call it radical when, to Jesus, it is simply the way it is? The way it should be?” (From the book Crazy Love, by Francis Chan).  

Heavenly Father,

Help me to give of myself completely and to never grow weary of loving those most in need. Help me to take the time to discern your will for me and realize my purpose here on earth for the glory of your name. Amen.