OUR DAILY BREAD : THE BUS DRIVER

[cimi]

April 17
Friday

READ:
1 John 4:7-12
_______________________________________

Be imitators of God
... and walk in love.
__Ephesians 5:1-2
______________________________________

In the middle of carting 70 pieces of luggage, and electronic piano, and other equipment through airports and on and off a tour bus, it's easy to wonder, "Why are we doing this?"

Taking 28 teenagers on an 11-day ministry trip to a land across the ocean is not easy. But at the end of the trip our bus driver, who had carted us all over England and Scotland, grabbed the bus microphone and in tears thanked the kids for how wonderful they had been. Then after we got home, he e-mailed us to say how much he appreciated the thank you cards the kids had written to him-- many of which contained the gospel.

Although the students ministered to hundreds through song during the trip, perhaps it was the bus driver who most benefited from their Christlikeness. In Ephesians we are told to be imitators of God and to walk in love (Eph. 5:1-2). Others see God in us when we show love to one another (1 John 4:12). The bus driver saw Jesus in the students and told them that they might just convert him to faith in Christ. Maybe it was for this man that we took that trip.

Why do you do what you do? Whose life are you affecting? Sometimes it's not our target audience that we impact most. Sometimes it's the bus drivers of the world. __Dave Branon
_____________________________________________________________

````````````````````Lord, may I be a shining light`````````````````
```````````````````````For all the world to see```````````````````
`````````````````Your good and Your love displayed```````````````
`````````````````As You reach out through me. __Sper````````````
_____________________________________________________________

Witnessing is not just something a Christian says,
but what he is.

****************Today's Bible Reading __ 1 John 4:7-12************

7 Beloved, let us love one
another, for love is of God;
and everyone who loves is
born of God and knows
God. 8 He who does not
love does not know God,
for God is love. 9 In this the
love of God was manifested
toward us, that God has
sent His only begotten Son
into the world, that we
might live through Him.

10 In this is love, not that we
loved God, but that He
loved us and sent His Son
to be the propitiation for
our sins. 11 Beloved, if God
so loved us, we also ought
to love one another.

12 No one has seen God at
any time. If we love one
another, God abides in us,
and his love has been
perfected in us.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

True agape love stems from a regenerate nature and comes from
fellowship with God, which results in knowing Him (1 Joh 2:3-5).
The absence of that kind of love is evidence that a person does not
know God. Because God is love, intimate acquaintance with Him
will produce caring for others. Like light, love is intrinsic to the
character and nature of God, and one who is intimately acquainted
with God walks in His light (1:5-7). The more yielded the believer's
heart to God, the greater the manifestation of God's love to others.