Contagiously Loving

Focus on giving smiles away and you will always discover that your own smiles will always be in great supply! –Joyce Meyer

As Christians we are called to be contagiously loving with the Gospel and God’s love. Think about it. If we were as contagious as COVID, how many more brothers and sisters in Christ would we have? If we are living our lives like Unbelievers, with the cares of this world weighing us down, how can we show God’s love to others? How are we are able to be kind and smile and encourage others, even when everything isn’t peachy keen in our own lives? We can do this be trusting that God has our problems and He has promised to provide for and protect us. Knowing this, we can then focus on helping others to understand God’s faithfulness and love for His people. In fact, we are told that if we help others, God will protect us and bless us.

Blessed is one who considers the helpless; The Lord will save him on a day of trouble. The Lord will protect him and keep him alive, and he will be called blessed upon the earth… Psalm 41: 1 & 2

Please understand that God’s blessing isn’t given just because we do something for Him. Rather, God is telling us that one of our main purposes on being here on planet earth is to help mankind. Helping others is one way we can contagiously show God’s love.
If a person is hungry and we try to share the Gospel with him/her, their rumbling tummy will speak louder than our words. However, if we feed the hunger, then all is quiet for the Gospel to be heard. Whether a person accepts Jesus as their Savior or not after we have shown kindness and shared the Gospel, doesn’t matter. Ultimately, we want everyone who we tell the plan of salvation to, to accept God’s gift. However, we have done what God has asked of us. It is now up to that person to make his/her own decision concerning salvation.
Know that the world is watching Believers. We need to live our lives in such a way that we don’t even think about contagiously loving others. It just becomes a part of our being.

“Be the living expression of God’s kindness, kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.” –Mother Teresa

When we contagiously love others, we are showing them where true joy comes from. How many times have you heard, “I just want to be happy”? For many in the unbelieving population, fun is something that can’t be had unless their inhibition levels are lowered by alcohol or drugs. I have friends that believe every celebration has to be accompanied by alcohol, otherwise their parties wouldn’t be fun. The fact is, when they have drunk too much, they really become boisterous and disagreements break out. I really don’t see the fun in all that. I never see uncontrollable laughter accompany their bouts of “celebration.”
However, when I have been to parties with Believers, and no alcohol, the parties are lively and fun. Believers really don’t need to lower inhibitions because we are confident in who we are, children of God. We can truly have a blast without dulled minds and a hangover in the morning. We are able to just enjoy each other as brothers and sisters, without the sibling rivalries. We have genuine fun!
But life isn’t all about having fun, it is about showing God’s contagious love to all mankind. During Jesus’ final Passover feast here on earth, he continued to teach His disciples about how they were supposed to live their lives. He told them,

“I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”