They will know...

By Mark Mast
Rainy River Ministerial

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus...” (Philippians 2:4,5).
I recently came across a story that ran in the November 20, 1998 National Post about a Berlin man who was found dead in his apartment. The lights on his Christmas tree were flashing and the television remote control was still in his lap on top of the TV Guide he held in his hands. The Guide was five years old, so he had been dead for some time. The only reason he was found was because his automatic rent payment could no longer be withdrawn from his bank account because his money was finally gone. I shuddered as I read the article. It reminded me just how desperate things can get in a person’s life. How could it be possible for an individual to never be missed by anyone for five years? Yet even as I ask that question, I realize that it is possible. But thankfully (hopefully!) NOT in Rainy River!
I am grateful for the daily evidence I see in Rainy River of people reaching out to one another and taking interest in helping each other. May this be a trait that is common in our community for as long as time endures. The Bible says to “serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13).
Though we live in a time and age when personal relationships are a low priority, may the opposite be evident in our wonderful small community. May we always see the need for friends and neighbors. May “community” never have to take a back seat in “our town.”
We need each other to provide authentic relationships so that we stand half a chance of being balanced, whole and complete. We all need “community” in our lives to give life meaning and depth, richness and faith.
Ultimately, the model of what we are striving for rests in the community of the family of God. An old song put it beautifully by stating, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” The heart of that love is found in a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Have you discovered this “life”? It’s yours for the asking the moment you repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ to save you. He gave His life that you might live! Trust Him today!