Unless We Give The Holy Spirit Total Control Of Our Soul We Will Feast Sumptuously And Never Share Our Riches With The Poor Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. (Eze. 16:49) Love One Another - https://youtube/watch?v=k2ZSOkHZ3jY What a powerful lesson. In our world today we are taught to focus on getting at the top of economic ladder. We are taught to aspire to go after the material things of this world. Rarely do we hear of the importance of sharing what we have with those in need. And even if we see organizations and people participating in helping the needy, their acts of kindness are advertised on websites, radio and the internet. When we see these things, we really have to wonder if the focus is on helping the needy or showing that we are helping the needy. It so interesting that the richest person in this universe, God, when He came as the Son of God, did not clothed himself in the attire of a wealthy person. He came as an ordinary man clothed in the garments that was consistent with the background of His family. Nowhere in the scripture do we find the Saviour of the world advertising His good works. There are times in His ministry that the Saviour asked those who were healed not to share this healing news with others. Jesus demonstrated, by example, that He wants us to focus on helping those who are in need. He has allowed us to attain a good education so that we can help those who need free tutoring. Those of my friends who have become lawyers, God want you to give free service to those who are in need. He is reminding you this morning that you didn’t get your degree so that you can now lift yourself out of the hole of poverty alone but that you could help those around you to come out of the same hole. God wants us to shift our focus away from ourselves and unto how we can help those who need the help. No matter where you find yourself today, there is someone who has less than you.. and no matter how small your gift may appear to you, there is somehow who will significantly benefits from your gift. You see my friend, when we continue to store up treasures on this earth instead of storing it up in heaven we stand the chance of losing all, including eternal life. I pray that we will spend time today to reflect on our actions and ask the Lord to help us to continue to share our riches, no matter how small, with those who are in need. The little that you give might be a Big answer to the prayer of the one in need. We must not allow our selfishness to rob the poor man or woman from receiving an answer to their prayer from the Lord. Don’t keep the poor man’s resources in your bank account. Please pull it out today and give Him the blessing that God has placed in your hands to give. In this generation the desire for gain is the absorbing passion. Wealth is often obtained by fraud. There are multitudes struggling with poverty, compelled to labor hard for small wages, unable to secure even the barest necessities of life. Toil and deprivation, with no hope of better things, make their burden heavy. Careworn and oppressed, they know not where to turn for relief. And all this that the rich may support their extravagance or indulge their desire to hoard! Love of money and love of display have made this world as a den of thieves and robbers. The Scriptures picture the greed and oppression that will prevail just before Christs second coming. Even among those who profess to be walking in the fear of the Lord, there are some who are acting over again the course pursued by the nobles of Israel. Because it is in their power to do so, they exact more than is just, and thus become oppressors. And because avarice and treachery are seen in the lives of those who have named the name of Christ, because the church retains on her books the names of those who have gained their possessions by injustice, the religion of Christ is held in contempt. Extravagance, overreaching, extortion, are corrupting the faith of many and destroying their spirituality. The church is in a great degree responsible for the sins of her members. She gives countenance to evil if she fails to lift her voice against it. The customs of the world are no criterion for the Christian. He is not to imitate its sharp practices, its overreaching, its extortion. Every unjust act toward a fellow being is a violation of the golden rule. Every wrong done to the children of God is done to Christ Himself in the person of His saints. Every attempt to take advantage of the ignorance, weakness, or misfortune of another is registered as fraud in the ledger of heaven. He who truly fears God, would rather toil day and night, and eat the bread of poverty, than to indulge the passion for gain that oppresses the widow and fatherless or turns the stranger from his right. The slightest departure from rectitude breaks down the barriers and prepares the heart to do greater injustice. Just to that extent that a man would gain advantage for himself at the disadvantage of another, will his soul become insensible to the influence of the Spirit of God. Gain obtained at such a cost is a fearful loss. We were all debtors to divine justice, but we had nothing with which to pay the debt. Then the Son of God, who pitied us, paid the price of our redemption. He became poor that through His poverty we might be rich. By deeds of liberality toward His poor we may prove the sincerity of our gratitude for the mercy extended to us. Let us do good unto all men, the apostle Paul enjoins, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10. And his words accord with those of the Saviour: Ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Mark 14:7; Matthew 7:12. (Prophets and Kings, pg. 650 – 652; Ellen G. White) God had made the rich man a steward of His means, and it was his duty to attend to just such cases as that of the beggar. The command had been given, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deuteronomy 6:5); and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Leviticus 19:18). The rich man was a Jew, and he was acquainted with the command of God. But he forgot that he was accountable for the use of his entrusted means and capabilities. The Lords blessings rested upon him abundantly, but he employed them selfishly, to honor himself, not his Maker. In proportion to his abundance was his obligation to use his gifts for the uplifting of humanity. This was the Lords command, but the rich man had no thought of his obligation to God. He lent money, and took interest for what he loaned; but he returned no interest for what God had lent him. He had knowledge and talents, but did not improve them. Forgetful of his accountability to God, he devoted all his powers to pleasure. Everything with which he was surrounded, his round of amusements, the praise and flattery of his friends, ministered to his selfish enjoyment. So engrossed was he in the society of his friends that he lost all sense of his responsibility to co-operate with God in His ministry of mercy. He had opportunity to understand the word of God, and to practice its teachings; but the pleasure-loving society he chose so occupied his time that he forgot the God of eternity. (Christ’s Objects Lesson, pg. 261, 262 – Ellen G. White)
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 13:04:08 +0000
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