Good Morning Friends,
Ok you probably have experienced growing closer to God as you seek the help of Christ in the forgiveness of your sins. You have probably experienced Jesus in prayer and praises. And you probably have become more knowledgeable in reading and trusting and applying His Word…even inspired. But, Did You Know That In Giving Hope To The Poor You Draw Closer To Being Sanctified By God?
Scripture: and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
Matthew 5:41 (NRSV)
When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’
Matthew 8:1-4 (NRSV)
And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it; they built siegeworks against it all around. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine became so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the city wall; the king with all the soldiers fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. They went in the direction of the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; all his army was scattered, deserting him. Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, who passed sentence on him. They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah; they bound him in fetters and took him to Babylon. In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. All the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon—all the rest of the population. But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest people of the land to be vinedressers and tillers of the soil.
2 Kings 25:1-12 (NRSV)
And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Matthew 25:40 (NRSV)
Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened.
Romans 10:1-2 (NRSV)
Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 (NRSV)
Message: Jesus did not want to be known as a miracle worker. He had something much more important in mind…the salvation of humanity…his family by adoption. And now it is our pleasure and joy to draw near to God. Saint Teresa knew how it worked best. When she was known as Mother Teresa she claimed that the way starts with silence and its fruit of prayer and then prayer’s fruit of faith that challenges us to engage others and then faith’s fruit of love changes everything, for if we let it bear the fruit of service and service’s fruit of peace we have walked with Jesus. The process is the path of salvation and it is born out in a special way with the poor and vulnerable…with lepers. Think of what Jesus did. Think of what Saint Teresa did. There is a spiritual DNA that is transferred in reaching out to outcasts. You see Jesus lived with outcasts, prostitutes and tax collectors as family. And he taught us to carry the burden of the most outcast with a cheerful attitude. On our walk with Jesus, He teaches us to go the second mile… to turn the other cheek…to swallow pride and abandon self-interest… to be slow to anger and quick to forgive. On the journey He compels us to live by grace in the face of the unfair and sometimes unfamiliar. He requires us to be cheerfully generous to help the marginalized on the way. Friends sometimes helping requires we get our hands dirty. We are to realize that the grace we receive is not just for our benefit but also so that we might help others. The beauty is that when we draw close to God’s own, God grows closer to us to sanctify us.
And So, sometimes there is grace even for the poor. We see it in the story of the Babylonian captivity where the poor were left behind to work in the vineyards. Babylon is God’s way of disciplining His people in the reality that sometimes surrender to what God would have you do is the best approach. It reminds me there is a legend about Saint Francis of Assisi who had a natural horror of lepers. One day as he was riding his horse near Assisi, he met a leper on the road. He felt frightened and repelled, but not wanting to disobey God’s command and break the law of love, he dismounted from his horse and ran to kiss him. As the leper stretched out his hand, expecting something, he received both money and a kiss. Francis immediately mounted his horse and although the field was wide open, without any obstructions, when he looked around, he could not see the leper anywhere. Friends the earthly life we lead is such as this. We never know when we might draw close to God. The opportunity comes for us to be challenged to be perfect in our love, obedience, benevolence and good works in the unexpected, in the least, last and lost. So, even though this life is a puff of smoke we need to get out of our comfort zone and into the end zone. Here we might just meet Jesus. In the end there is still hope. God desires us to be focused on the assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ more than the miracle of physical blessings. It is this Covenant of love…this surprising promise of purpose that we are to desire in our heart to be holy.
Pray we realize that everyone needs to be touched by Jesus. Pray we are obedient Christians. Pray we have the right perspective on the promises of God. Pray we have faith in God keeping promises. Pray we are servants of Jesus and stewards of the mysteries of God worthy of the name Christian. Pray we trust God to lead us in our life to learn to love. Pray we walk in the life-giving relationship of Jesus. Pray we realize God’s preference for the poor and vulnerable and outcastes has a purpose. Pray we choose the simple path of love. Pray that we humble ourselves before God, so that God does not have to do it for us. Pray we realize that God gives grace to the willing humble. Pray we take some lessons in our laments that bring us closer to God. Pray for each other so that we might live together whole and healed. Pray Jesus’ Kingdom overcomes the world. Pray that grace draws us close to the needy and births in us a deliverance and healing that sets us free. Pray we go the distance and more.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 