In what ways can I help others?

1 John 3:17If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

We can help others by sharing of our abundance with those who have less. We should be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and opportunities that come to us, for God may be asking us to be his hands for someone we know.

Isaiah 1:17Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

God works through willing people to provide his divine help. Orphans, widows, and the poor are some of many who may need this help.

Acts 16:9That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”

We help others by telling them the Good News of Jesus, giving them an opportunity to experience salvation and eternal life.

Acts 20:28“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.

We can help other believers by encouraging and assisting them to grow spiritually.

Romans 12:13When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

We can help others by showing hospitality.

Galatians 6:1Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

We can help other believers who have stumbled in their walk with God by showing them how to restore their relationship with him.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

We can help others by being available. When people try to do everything themselves, they are limited by their weaknesses. But when we depend on each other for help, we compensate for each other’s weaknesses with our strengths.

Romans 16:1-2I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.

Interdependence is healthy. We are created to live in community, which implies that we are to be constantly helping each other. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a mark of unity.

1 Peter 4:10-11God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies.

God calls us to help others. To some, however, he gives a special skill and longing for this kind of ministry. Just as with all spiritual gifts, we should fervently pursue helping others in need.

Genesis 14:14-16When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. . . . Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.

We should do whatever we can to help those in need and, if necessary, to rescue them.