Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
(1 John 3:18 – NASB95)
We studied this passage recently and I asked the congregation for practical suggestions on how we can love one another. Below is a compilation of what I received this week. Please prayerfully read through them and ask the Lord what He would want you to do to demonstrate your love for His children.
- Take someone on errands, shopping, to a doctor appointment.
- Pick up groceries and prepare meals for those who are homebound, sick, had a baby…
- Coordinate meals (Meal Train), house cleaning, etc., for people who will be in need for a period of time.
- Call people regularly to see how they are doing and pray with them over the phone.
- Write cards of encouragement (email, texts…).
- Clean someone’s home for them.
- Give someone a ride to church who doesn’t drive or have a car.
- Help someone with their pets (walk the dog, take to the vet).
- Take a neighbor’s newspaper to their front porch daily [do people still get the newspaper?].
- Be hospitable. Open your home and regularly invite people over to get to know them better.
- Provide a room in your home for someone who needs a place to stay.
- Meet financial needs. Pay a specific bill.
- Remind people with financial needs of our Benevolence Fund. Encourage them to ask for help.
- Carry envelopes with cash so you are ready to meet a need when you hear of one.
- Be an accountability partner for prayer, counsel, and encouragement.
- Read the Bible to someone who can’t see well enough to do it themselves. Or set them up with an audio Bible so they can listen regularly.
- Help with home repairs, yardwork, chores around the house (especially for seniors).
- Wash someone’s car.
- Help people move.
- Invite people to join your family for the holidays.
- Plan a special event for Singles in the church.
- Spend time with those who are sick and dying (read to them, pray, sing their favorite songs…).
- Be willing to serve in a leadership position.
- Call people you haven’t seen at church recently to encourage them.
- Offer to go with someone to Grief Share after they have lost a loved one or experienced something traumatic.
- Listen to people. Listen twice as much as you speak. Help bear their burdens so that they don’t feel alone.
- Provide wise counsel or direct people in need to our Biblical Counseling Ministry.
- If someone has a need and you can’t meet it, help them connect with someone who can.
- Follow up with people in your LIFE Group after they expressed a need or prayer request.
- Faithfully pray when prayer requests are sent out. Call (email, text) the person to let them know you are praying and are available to help.
- Be sensitive and compassionate toward those who are jobless or homeless.
- Serve in Children’s or Youth Ministry. A great way to love the children, youth, and their parents.
- Encourage ministry leaders (calls, texts, emails, words of encouragement, gift cards).
- Offer to be a faithful assistant or take over a specific ministry from those who already have too many areas of responsibility.
- Pray and ask the Lord how He wants you to lovingly serve others each day.
- Spend time daily with the Lord so He can meet your needs and empower you to give out of the overflow. Prepare before you meet with fellow believers so you have specific things to share that will stimulate them to love and good deeds.
- Plan events to bring people together. Provide environments where they can get to know others and share their lives.
- Choose to be encouraging. Tell people how you have seen them change / grow in Christ. Tell them how God is using them in the lives of others.
- Memorize Scripture and share it with others. Encourage them to do the same.
- Meet the needs of pastors and leaders in the mission field.
- Discover, develop, and use spiritual gifts to build up fellow believers.
That’s what I received since Sunday. Thank you to all of you who sent in these great suggestions. I believe we have an incredibly loving church family, and these suggestions will enable us to do even better (1 Thess. 4:9-10). Pick a few of these and put them into practice this week. Let’s make The Bridge the happiest and most loving place on earth.
P.S. Pray specifically for the precious ladies who are away at the Women’s Retreat this weekend. Ask our Father to draw them much closer to Himself and to one another for His glory.