I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Ephesians 3:16-18
“I have a primary responsibility to myself; to make myself into the best person I can possibly be. Then and only then, will I have something worthwhile to share. I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love.”
Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997).
When you read this I will have arrived in Frankfurt, Germany, and connected to Tirana, Albania. There I will attend a conference and then do GTP program work to activate another working group to form a peer accountability group like ECFA in USA.
Though my schedule seems crazy sometimes, like yours I am sure, I find that the personal discipline of spending time with Jesus (regardless of where I am) helps me be the best person I can be and also fills my cup with God’s love so I can love others well.
This comes into view as our primary responsibility, especially if we want to exhibit generosity, as it marks the pathway to dispensing abundance. Many people don’t like the “love until it hurts” idea. Such people forget the cross altogether.
Embrace it. Step out of your comfort zone. Love until it hurts. Sacrifice yourself and your resources. You won’t find yourself empty, but rather enriched for greater generosity. And you also find that God replaces the hurt with more love.