God is Near – Promises of Love – Jesus is the Savior – Going Forward

Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast

God is Near

Do you believe?  Know and believe He is always with us, in good times and bad.  We must believe and pray.  I read a little article written by Billy Graham and I don’t usually think we should look back.  I believe we should bury things or lift them to God but he really made me think.  Dr. Billy Graham said, “If I were able to live life over again I would schedule more family time, over anything else.  One’s family should always be a major source of happiness, second only to God.”

As I reflected on this, I came to the conclusion that we need to make our family ties tight.  We bring thoughts and prayers with us in our service to others.  We are or need to be tight with our Vincentian family, and we learn from each other as we use this knowledge to bring God’s love freely to the poor.  We must be tight with our Church families and share the needs of the poor.  Of course we must be tight with our human families and share our work and faith with them.  God is always near and He knows we need Him.  Call on Him often and ask for His help and Believe always.  He is near.

Promises of Love

We can read about love and what it brings to us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. “Love is patient and kind.”  We bring patience and kindness to those in need. “Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.”  It is truly a gift from God.  Every success we have is His hand and love.  Remember to thank Him after your visit.  “Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others.”  This one I have to check often and pray for often.  My Irish temper interferes and I have to check it often and pray often to keep it in check.

For us in our service to others we must be diligent in our service but we are not meant to change those we serve to be like us, but to be the best they can be. We must respect their customs.  “Love does not count up the wrongs that have been done.”  We accept people as they are and serve them as they need.  “Love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.”  Our job is to listen to them and try to seek the reason they are in poverty or prison and seek and make a change with God’s help.  Loving patiently accepts things.  It always trusts hopes and always remains strong and calm.

Jesus is the Savior

We see Jesus in the poor because He is salvation.  Who has a greater love than Him?  He calls us to tend the flock and feed His lambs.  We are called to serve Him in the poor.  Who has a greater love than Him?  He died on the cross, arms stretched out, embracing all of us. He died for us and our salvation, all of us.  When you think Jesus, really see Him.  See Him in your spouse, your family and your Vincentian Family.  We you truly see Him you will notice a difference.  He fed thousands with the bare minimum.  Trust in Him and show His never ending love to all we serve in need.  We need to know Him and truly trust in Him.

What we cannot do, the Trinity can.  Remember to take them with you and pray in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  It is the Vincentian way.  Jesus is our Savior and the Savior for all.  There are not favorites.  All of us belong to Him.  He is the Salvation of all mankind.  We must always treat the poor with this in mind.  Never think we are better.  We are all one and we are all sinners, so we must keep trying to reach sainthood.  Pray often, always, before a visit, silently during the visit and always after the visit.  Also remember to follow up to make sure things are going okay.  Remember we serve Jesus and the poor are our friends waiting for their salvation.

Going Forward

We all have regrets and we must move forward. My favorite prayer is “Footprints” When we’ve made a mistake try not to look back at your footprints, instead look forward and you will see Christ is carrying us.  Each day offers us a new opportunity to take steps in the right direction. Each day is a new day, do not despair.  Share your joy and smile with others, especially the poor.  Don’t destroy the dreams of others, but make a difference always. Gates always stop us, so make sure your gates are always open and always proceed with joy, love and mercy.  Each person we serve is a gift to us from God.  They are very valuable gifts and must be treated well.  We must see Jesus in them and strive to make the world a better place.

Blessings,
Lynn