2014-01-19 13.59.40A day ago  a friend sent me a quote that made me think – and feel – a lot.

The shortest way I can summarize it:

When we express anything good to an other human being – tenderness, love, care, help, honesty… we are expressing something of God´s character. His nature is flowing through us. And as it flows through us it also touches us. And the encounter with the other human being can also be an encounter with God´s nature. 

Here is the full quote

“A hug or supportive physical touch at the right moment, changes everything. Just as a word can bloom when given and received from the heart. Find the good soil in one another and plant there. It’s wisdom to bless others well, not just how you yourself get blessed, but how God is blessing them.
Make your helping others a way of getting to know God. Encountering and reflecting His orientation towards other is the key to lasting ministry into others.

It’s important not just to have His information for the other person or situation, but His  (Gods) Tone and Orientation of Love towards them. God gives particularly. (If we ask for a bird, will He give us a snake?) So should we.

God is not just loving people, He is loving people in specific ways. Partnering with Him in ministering His Life to others, is another way of getting to know just how awesome and specific His loving really is.

Ministry, then, is just a way to get to know and love and appreciate more of God. It’s another medium through which we meet Him.

Without the specific nuances of His Love, we can become nothing more than resounding gongs, useful only to ourselves–sort of narcissistic ministry (ministry to meet our own needs, even the one to feel useful to others), instead of ministry as a way of spirituality-of knowing and therefore overflowing and revealing God to others.”