Discovering and living the true essence of life involves the recognition that life, at its core, is about relationships–in the vertical direction a deeply personal relationship with God, our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer, and, in the horizontal direction, ever-deepening relationships with other people. To have a passion for Christ is to have an accompanying passion for other human beings, those who have been created in the image of God. This is why Jesus tells us that all the Law and the Prophets hang on the two commandments to love God and love neighbor (see Matthew 22:37-40). To love is to make relational investment by giving oneself to another through selfless devotion, commitment, and sacrifice.
William Wilberforce (1759-1833; pictured above) was a Christian member of the British Parliament who had a deep passion for people that led to tireless action on behalf of slaves. Wilberforce was committed to abolishing the slave trade, and slavery in general, in Great Britain. Though he encountered many obstacles along the 46 year-long pursuit of abolition, he never gave up the fight. His love of Christ, passion for people, and his strong belief that all humans bear the image of God kept him running the race of faith with perseverance. He simply would not give up his work on behalf of the oppressed. The story is told of Wilberforce turning to a friend in the early morning hours after the parliamentary vote to abolish the slave trade had favorably passed and saying, “Well, Henry, what shall we abolish next?”
The Apostle Paul, no stranger to the need for a persevering spirit, ended his letter to the church in Galatia with an admonition to maintain a passion for people by working tirelessly to relieve the suffering and burdens of others (see Galatians 6). Paul writes, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Gal. 6:9-10)
Paul’s instruction to “not become weary” is prefaced in Galatians 5 with a discussion on life in the Spirit. To “not become weary” is contingent upon a person’s daily reliance upon the in-working power of God’s Spirit; it is the Spirit of God who strengthens and equips the believer to energetically move toward meeting the needs of others without becoming burned out in the process. Here is a portion of one of Wilberforce’s prayers that illustrates the need for ongoing connectedness to the Lord in serving others:
Oh Lord, purify my soul from its stains. Warm my heart with the love of Thee that I may not be weary in well doing.
Wilberforce had a desire to be continuously warmed in the heart with a love for God so the fire for doing good for others would not be extinguished. Perhaps your heart has grown cold and your sensitivity to the needs of those around you has been dulled. If so, the remedy is not found in trying harder to be compassionate but rather in getting alone with Christ and allowing His presence to heat up the heart. Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing.” Do we really believe this? Or, do we give lip service to the necessity of God’s presence in well doing and then stubbornly, yet futilely, seek to live compassionately with mere human strength?
Apart from disconnectedness from our energizing power source, the Holy Spirit, we often experience other debilitating factors in our pursuit to serve others. One of these factors is the obsession over the apparent lack of results in regard to our relational investments in the lives of others. Sometimes we are tempted to throw in the towel of service because people don’t seem to change and they can even appear callous toward the compassionate initiatives; living with a passion for people is often a thankless mission. Galatians 6:9 gives us practical truth in dealing with this dilemma. Paul writes, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest…” The Greek word in this phrase for proper time is kairos, a word that means God’s appointed time. The word kairos takes the pressure off of us and allows us to trust in God’s perfect timing for the final results of our Kingdom relational investments. As we are faithful in staying connected to Christ, the result will be a plentiful reservoir of energy to serve others, and a soul contentment that the fruit of our labors is up to God. The harvest is on God’s kairos time, not on our chronological time!
Another barrier we face in serving others is an attitude that tends toward laziness. We may have a passion for people, but sometimes the enthusiasm is not channeled in the moment and we push off opportunities for doing good until a future time, and thus, the need goes unmet because other needs inevitably arise and cause us to forget about previous opportunities. Galatians 6:10 says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good…” The word opportunity in this verse has its root in the word kairos. This is not just an ordinary opportunity that Paul is describing; this is a God-given opportunity for service that, whenever missed, cannot be recaptured. Implicit in the word is the idea of seizing the moment and not allowing the opportunity to pass without a response.
May we all be encouraged to cultivate an ever-growing passion for people. This week, as we remain aware of the vast amount of needs around us, may we not be bitter and cynical about people’s sometimes apparent lack of response to our acts of service; remember, God is on kairos time. And, may we not let opportunities to serve others in the name of Christ slip through our hands. Once again, the opportunities are kairos in nature. Let’s not miss out on what God desires to do through our passion for people!
