PREPARING THE HEART

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind and all your strength. And Love your Neighbor as yourself. There are not other commandments greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

Over the past 5 years I have grown very close to some friends who are farmers. I grew up in a town of 52,000 so the concept of farming was very unfamiliar to me when I moved to Iowa. I had a neighbor who was very close in proximity, but I did not have day to day conversations with them. When I was living in Postville, IA I had a conversation with a friend about helping out our neighbors and was telling me about his neighbor who lived 5 miles up the road. I realized that in the farming community the concept of a neighbor is much different then that of a non-farmer. Farmers help one another and do it because that is how they survive. God has called us to help our neighbors and as I have been learning over the past couple of years, our neighbor isn't the person sitting or living next to us; it is the person in need. We are called to help those in need and I have been demonstrated that one way this is done is in a small farming community in Postville, IA. How are you helping your neighbors? div>

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gifts he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4: 8-10

God tells us to love our neighbor by meeting their needs. We are to do this by using the gifts God has given us. All across the United States (and truly around the world) there are natural disasters that strike daily. This summer much of the damage from disasters occurred in the fields. All too often we feel that there is nothing we can do when things like this happen and although we cannot regrow the corn, or provide the all of the missing income for the farmers who are out the opportunity. However, we can stand up as brothers and sisters in Christ and reach out. We are to be sure our neighbors have enough to continue. We are to be Jesus. God has equipped each of you with skills and tools to help our neighbors. No matter what your skill set is, God has trusted you with these tools and skills and you can sure bet he is counting on you to use them to help your neighbors.