You become like the company you keep.
Fellowshipping with gang members will ultimately impact your actions. We are wired with the need to be accepted by others. If we fellowship with other people who have Love as their focus, we will take on those attributes as well. The decision is ours as to which group of people we associate with. We are given the opportunity to set our own path through life. Yes, Our Heavenly Father IS sovereign but HE allows us to make day to day decisions which affect our quality of life. Throughout Scripture we are given options. Bless others and be blessed, curse others and be cursed.
Isn’t our ultimate goal to be a blessing to others? But instead, many are a drain on society, especially the people they congregate around. It seems as though their goal is to suck the life out of those who will give them the opportunity. That ought not to be so. There are those who should be producing good fruit by now but have yet to yield any meaningful fruit. What is the problem? I believe it is a heart issue. We all get excited about a promise of abundance found in Scripture. We often figure that if we quote the Scripture enough, it will somehow manifest in our life. The church has encouraged this without considering the context in which the promise is made. We all want overflowing blessings and abundance sufficient to meet our needs. The following is one of the favorite Scriptures spoken by Jesus Our Beloved Savior for the hope of abundance:
Luke 6:38 ‘Give, and it will be given to you. Fair measure, pressed down, well-shaken, and overflowing, they will put into your bag. For with the same measure with which you measure, it will be measured back to you.”
What a promise! Now, let’s look at the context leading up to this promise (I added some highlights):
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.
30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
People want the blessing before they bless but Our Lord Jesus Christ told us to first be a blessing THEN we will receive our blessing. People tend to miss the point of being a blessing. They should want to “get” in order to “give”. Instead, the “give” in order to “get”.
When you immerse yourself in Love, your attitude changes about giving. You begin to have compassion on the less fortunate. Your ego will fight you every step of the way as you pursue the path of Love. Your ego understands the consequences of losing control as Love takes command. The trappings of this world become less important. The big boy toys lose their luster. Your attempt to impress people with some facade is gone. You look at innocent children with a new appreciation. You look at the less fortunate with compassion rather than disgust. You now find ways to be a blessing rather than to be blessed. You are finally learning what it means to be a son of the Most High!