ARK

Ever seen Evan Almighty? Great movie. Anyway, three letters -- ARK.

Act of Random Kindness


It says somewhere in the Bible, "What makes you so good, being nice to people who are nice to you? Do you expect a medal for saying hi to the people who say hi to you? Even bad guys do that." 


I was listening to the radio and they were saying, "What if everyone was just doing these random acts of kindness?" 


And I was just like, "Wow. What if we did that? Random nice things for people?" It doesn't matter who they are -- just spread the love! 


God is love. Huh? GOD is love. What? God is LOVE!

ain't it ironic that now
i don't give what they gonna say
it's like their words don't change
a thing of who i am
of who God is in me

I read Romans 12 this morning. I love this passage! Last night I was writing in my diary, and I was like, "You know, God is love -- but we're humans. Saying "live a life of love" doesn't really get me anywhere. I mean, love covers everything -- a multitude of sins. How can I really, really just love in everything I am?"

Because love is one of those things I just can't comprehend. I mean, God IS love, after all.

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life -- you're sleeping, eating, going-to-work and walking-around life -- and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

...living, then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you do not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what He does for us, not by what we are and what we do for Him."

"In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of His body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvellously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and we what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.

If you preach, just preach God's message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

"Love from the centre of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold onto dear life for good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fuelled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians be inventive in hospitality.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."

"Our scripture say that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good." Romans 12, The Message

Maybe you think that's just too long and you're not gonna read that. And, hey, you don't have to read it all. But this passage really just stuck out to me. You could out your Bible and just read it over a couple of times, or focus on a certain thing, like let God do the judging or make friends with nobodies -- don't be the great somebody.

Whatever you do, 
Whatever God's doing in you,
Have a beautiful day.