A German Poet Goethe once said, “Treat a man as he appears to be, and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be.”
This led me to look up verses in the bible that speak about how we should treat others, and here are a few that I found:
Luke 6: 31- “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”
John 15: 12- “This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.”
James 2:1-5- Favoritism Forbidden “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
And one of my favorites:
Hebrews 13: 2- Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.
So now I am thinking about potential, and what that means, so I looked it up. Potential is defined as, “What you can do, but have not yet accomplished.” Potential creates a sense of self-worth, confidence, and value, but let me tell you this, reaching your potential is not based on your own efforts, it is about surrendering yourself to God and letting His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Questions:
1. What are some ways that we can help others to realize their own potential?
-We can help them to find their identity in Christ. Psalm 139:14, “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made!”
-We can help them find their spiritual gifts so that they can produce fruit and find joy.
-We can help them recognize that their purpose in life is to praise God and to serve others in His name. This was something that I struggled with for a long time because I did not know my purpose or why I was here, but as soon as I realized this, things changed for me. I started to look at people differently and the world around me changed.
-And we can encourage them to step out in fear. Fear is what holds us back at times, but as soon as we become brave enough to take that first step forward, it gets easier.
2. It is hard to reflect inward and realize our own faults when we are being judgmental, but we naturally have thoughts that just pop into our heads, and they are not always good ones, so what do we do with these thoughts when they come? How can we change our way of thinking to naturally accept others even if it makes us feel uncomfortable?
I read this on the internet but cannot remember where to reference:
Consider this, if you had a $20 dollar bill, it has most likely been used to buy alcohol and drugs. It has also probably been stolen a few times, used to bribe somebody, or for other immoral, unethical purposes. However, its value is not determined by what it has been through, it is determined by its maker, the US Treasury.
Prayer
What is love in God’s eyes?
Love is unconditional.
It is an action, and a service to those that we are close to and to those that we are not.
Love is worship unto Him,
It is gratitude, grace, and forgiveness.
Love it not self-serving, but instead self-sacrificing.
Love is giving of ourselves wholeheartedly,
without question, without understanding, and without complaint.
Love is sharing in the Good News!
Love is withholding opinions and criticisms for the sake of relationships instead.
Love is sometimes saying something hurtful,
gracefully because it needs to be said.
Love is kind,
Love is the fruits of His Holy Spirit.
Love not only lives in our hearts, but in our minds, our souls, and in our energy.
Love is a lesson to others about how people should be treated.
Love is a choice.
Love is positivity and good character,
But most of all, love is Jesus,
And Jesus is love.
Thank You Father for this precious gift.
In His Beautiful Name,
Amen