Inside Out

Do you know that our inside life shows out in what we do? Jesus says if we love Him in our hearts, we must show that by what we do. What should we do if we love Jesus? Think about how your Mom and Dad show their love to you. They work for you and spend time with you, don’t they? It is by what they do that we know they love us. So if we love Jesus, we should be doing things that please Him. He says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” That means that we should obey Him.

In the story, Daniel is learning what it means to obey Jesus. First we must want His way inside us. When God changes us inside, then it will show on the outside. We will want to pray and read the Bible. We will want to help others. But if we have a sinful heart inside, that will show on the outside, too. It will show by complaints and wanting our selfish way. We won’t want to talk to Jesus, because we don’t love Him. Even if we pretend we are good, the bad in our hearts will come out. We had better get our hearts right so that we can live right!

Daniel wanted to serve Jesus and obey Him. When he listened to the Bible verse about giving to the poor, Daniel tried to think of ways he could help. In his heart God had changed him so he didn’t just think about himself. He had love in his heart for others and it showed on the outside. Just like Daniel, sometimes we might get certain ideas of how we should serve Jesus. But we must remember that Jesus is the Master and He knows best. He wants us to follow Him, not pull ahead like a wild puppy. When Daniel let go of his own ideas, and followed, Jesus gave him a job to do.

Do you wish you could do something for Jesus? He has important jobs for us to do if we will only listen and obey. If your heart is right, then your life will show it. Daniel got his chance to help a poor person because God’s love was already inside his heart. Ask Jesus for a loving heart today, and you’ll be surprised how many chances you’ll have to serve Him!