Giving Out Of Love

Giving Out of Love

From: Our Daily Journey

Mar 15, 2017

Read:

Deuteronomy 15:4-11, 24:17-22
Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors him (Proverbs 14:31).

A UK survey revealed that 96 percent of the generous donors surveyed gave to charity because they wanted to give back to society and tackle inequality. And 71 percent said they gave because of their faith.

Giving generously to those in need is central to being a believer in Jesus—something that reflects His heart. Our God, the defender of the poor and the oppressed (Psalm 12:5), told His people that He keeps a watchful eye on the orphans, widows, and foreigners—giving them justice, food, and clothing (Deuteronomy 10:18). He wanted them to be compassionate, to “not be hardhearted or tightfisted” but to “give generously . . . , not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do” (Deuteronomy 15:7,10).

When harvesting crops (Deuteronomy 24:19-21), the people were to provide food for the poor by leaving some behind so they could harvest it. God twice reminded them that they too were once poor. “Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from your slavery. . . . That is why I have given you this command” (Deuteronomy 24:18,22). God blessed them materially so that they could enjoy His good gifts. But they were to share them with those in need (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).

How are we living out the heart of God for those in need? Whether we have little or much, it’s our joy to pour out on others what He’s given, remembering that “those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors him.” And, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and he will repay you!” (Proverbs 14:31, 19:17).

May we give to those in need as God prompts us and provides, using us as conduits of His love and compassion.

The Piercing Question

The Piercing Question

From: Utmost.org

March 1, 2017

 

Do you love Me? —John 21:17

 

 

Peter’s response to this piercing question is considerably different from the bold defiance he exhibited only a few days before when he declared, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35; also see Matthew 26:33-34). Our natural individuality, or our natural self, boldly speaks out and declares its feelings. But the true love within our inner spiritual self can be discovered only by experiencing the hurt of this question of Jesus Christ. Peter loved Jesus in the way any natural man loves a good person. Yet that is nothing but emotional love. It may reach deeply into our natural self, but it never penetrates to the spirit of a person. True love never simply declares itself. Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men [that is, confesses his love by everything he does, not merely by his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8).

Unless we are experiencing the hurt of facing every deception about ourselves, we have hindered the work of the Word of God in our lives. The Word of God inflicts hurt on us more than sin ever could, because sin dulls our senses. But this question of the Lord intensifies our sensitivities to the point that this hurt produced by Jesus is the most exquisite pain conceivable. It hurts not only on the natural level, but also on the deeper spiritual level. “For the Word of God is living and powerful…, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…”— to the point that no deception can remain (Hebrews 4:12). When the Lord asks us this question, it is impossible to think and respond properly, because when the Lord speaks directly to us, the pain is too intense. It causes such a tremendous hurt that any part of our life which may be out of line with His will can feel the pain. There is never any mistaking the pain of the Lord’s Word by His children, but the moment that pain is felt is the very moment at which God reveals His truth to us.