“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 NIV)
The Christian faith began with an act of love. Out of His great love for us, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to walk the earth and die sacrificially for our sins. The outpouring of a heart beating with faith in Christ has the power to change lives. They say, “it’s better to give than to receive,” and that is oh, so true of God’s great love. Here are just eight everyday acts of faith that have the power to change someone’s life.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:43-45 NIV
We live in a world that feels entitled to be entitled. Seemingly everyone is arguing, even within Christian circles. It’s exhausting. It’s draining the life out of us. It’s not loving God with all of our heart and souls and mind. It’s not.
When we choose to build a bridge instead of picking sides, lives literally change. I don’t believe we sit in the circles of people we sit in by coincidence. Our God is a purposeful God. Each and every human being has been crafted with His intricate care. We can find common ground with the people that sit in our circles. We can choose to focus on the loved human being our enemy is, instead of the hurt they caused us or the opposing side they camp out on. We are called to offer forgiveness, even when it’s underserved. Shake hands. Hug it out. Go separate ways if it’s necessary, but walk off in kindness and respect for the living, breathing miracle each human is.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
Prayer has the power to move the very heart of God. He hears us. In the still of the night, He watches over us. If it’s the most powerful weapon we have on this earth, it’s definitely the most powerful thing we can do for someone!
We were not meant to do life alone. Prayer is a powerful start in our quest to love others as God commands us to. When we storm the gates of heaven in prayer for others, lives are altered in ways we may never know this side of heaven. Never be afraid to ask big things of God. Miracles do happen every day. Just because we don’t know how God will answer our prayers doesn’t mean we should assume He won’t. He is capable of completely and immediately changing our circumstances. Pray seriously and genuinely for others. It’s quite possibly the biggest thing we can do for another when we do it with a correctly calculated heart.
“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:12 NIV
Jesus’ words of encouragement to his disciples ring true for us today. We will be persecuted for following Him. We will. But because we follow Him we can rejoice and be glad! It doesn’t even fit in to this world, to smile at someone …just to smile at someone. Where does giddy happiness about breathing air and doing life another day come from? Jesus.
A small group of fifth graders gathered in my family room after school each week to learn about friendship. The first challenge I gave them was to walk down the hallways at school and smile at their peers. Say, “hello” and their name, if they knew it. “Somebody will walk down the hallway tomorrow wondering if anyone even notices they are alive,” I told them, “Your smile is everything to that person.” Yes, a simple smile has the power to change someone’s life. Yes, it does.
“…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve …” Matthew 20:28 NIV
Lives change when we sign up to serve. Serving others is never meant to be for selfish gain, or for legalistic purposes. Meaning, because we think we have to serve to please God, or to earn love and approval from God or others. Jesus had no ulterior motives, nor did he seek any personal gain or fame. It is after His example we seek to serve others.
When I signed up to serve as a children’s worship leader at my local church, it was to fill a need while having fun with my daughters. I had no idea how God would use my high energy to minister to the kids that walked through those doors. I watched God use my faithfulness and preparation to love those kids. The feedback from some of them and their parents blew me away. God pulled talents and gifts out of me I didn’t even know I had. He grew me, and changed many lives along the way. To witness His hand on another life is out of this world. Serving others has the power to change someone’s life.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 NIV
God takes His command for us to reach out and help the poor and marginalized seriously. Generous donations change lives. My oldest daughter shot her hand up during the break in the Newsboys concert I took her to when she was eight years old. We signed up to sponsor a child, a girl her exact age. Every year, we get a new picture of Marion, and we watch her grow up thousands of miles away from us. Every little bit helps. Whether it’s sponsoring a child, donating to the food bank, serving at a soup kitchen, going on mission trips or giving our gently used clothes to someone in need …it matters.
When a local family in our town needed help after a house fire, I witnessed our community come together in generosity and compassion. They donated gift cards, clothes and food. It let them know they were seen and cared for in a time of hardship and loss. It matters so much to God that we help each other, especially those who cannot help themselves.
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:8-9 NIV
When we faithfully open the doors of our homes to the people God purposes to walk through them, it has the power to change someone’s life. My husband works long hours, so I had an open space to welcome a single friend and her daughter over for dinner with my daughters and I. When God pressed upon my heart to open my home and lead a Bible Study on Monday mornings, another young mom walked into my home and we became fast friends. She, too, joined my daughters and I for dinner. It was my honor to encourage and assure them of God’s loved them. In all the years I have led Bible Study in my family room, He has brought people into my house who have left forever changed. He grows and forever changes me through their lives, too.
Opening the door for people becomes contagious when we start to experience the joy that comes along with it! Leave the piles of laundry and the dust bunnies alone. Let the floor be stick and the counters remain cluttered. Just open the door to what authentic life with Christ looks like. It’s not polished and pretty, but it’s overflowing with sustaining joy. From our church small group to my daughter’s breakfast club, we are constantly opening our door. We love to watch Him work! Love each other deeply. It changes lives.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all there as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV
Serving in youth ministry, I have witnessed first-hand the power of showing up for people. When we come out to cheer for them at their game, competition, or performance, it means something and matters so much to their maturing hearts. It’s important to encourage each other. Showing up for someone can change a life.
Remembering each other’s milestones is important in adult friendships. When my friend showed up with signs on race day to cheer me on in my first half-marathon, I was so touched and encouraged. She went out of her way, in her busy life, just to love and encourage me. Runners cheer for each other, regardless of what team they are on. We’re all out there to do our personal best, but we know we can’t do it without each other. Better runners push us to our best. And when we slow to help a struggling runner, the heart of the sport is put center stage. Be intentional about cheering people on. Be a fan of people …like Jesus. It changes lives!
It had begun to snow, and I saw her bright yellow car in the handicapped space out of the corner of my eye. I had to push my cart pretty hard to get it through the snow, and so after I unloaded and returned it, I rushed back over to her car. “I’ll return your cart for you!” I said. When we take time to help people, it has the power to change someone’s life.
Share a front porch conversation with neighbors. Shovel the neighbor's driveway of snow. Rake their leaves. Get their mail. Pull up their trash cans on garbage day. Hold the door open. Save the elevator for the person rushing to catch it. We never know how big these seemingly small actions will be to the people who receive them. But God knows that small acts of faith have the power to change someone’s life.
Conclusion
When we help someone with the right state of mind, it not only has the power to change their life …but ours, too. Small acts of faith have the power to change someone’s life, but they also change ours in the process. If we do these things out of a heart of love, Christ’s love shines through us. And when Christ’s love shines upon people, lives change.
Meg Bucher writes about everyday life within the love of Christ as an author, freelance writer and blogger at Sunny&80. Her first book, “Friends with Everyone,” is available on amazon.com. She earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University, but stepped out of the business world to stay at home and raise her two daughters. Besides writing, she leads a Bible Study for Women and serves as a Youth Ministry leader in her community. She lives in Northern Ohio with her husband, Jim, and two daughters.