May 18

“But ye have despised the poor…” James 2:6

Poverty, though not of itself a disease, may be seen as an affliction of pandemic proportions in the human race. It is rarely something a person may consciously or purposely choose. While it is true that an individual’s conduct may contribute to and ultimately bring about his poverty and undoing, overall it is safe to say that poverty is a condition experienced by a large portion of humanity, and over which they have little or no control. It is at this level that our text makes its exhortation to our hearts. It is a fact of human behaviour that a difference of preference and partiality, is made towards the status (real or perceived) of any one particular person we may meet. Poor people and rich people exist equally all over the world and are treated differently, as if their financial status actually gives them more or less worth as a person! We may all rationalise that this is not correct, but in our natural response to individuals, we all mostly fall into the same trap of attributing the quality of our attention, interest, service to people, in line with what we perceive their ‘status’ to be. Tests have been conducted by richer individuals, purposely dressing down to look as paupers, to verify this inbuilt human negligence, and see how differently they were treated by those they met. We are very much geared to what our eyes see and what we perceive of people, and to that degree we give them trust, attention and place. Sadly this oddity continues to plague us as believers also. In fact to some degree we may be even guiltier of this neglect, for another dimension is added to us when we are Christians. There is such thing as spiritual poverty. Those who are not yet converted are spiritually afflicted, lacking, and in need. It is true to say that not only from a physical, financial standpoint, but also from a spiritual one, we can lack in the kind of love required of us, to give and support our fellow man, without regards to his status! If meeting the need of a financially poor person means sharing our financial wealth with them, then meeting the need of a spiritually impoverished individual, means sharing our spiritual wealth with them! Yet it is at this level that we can fail, and despise those around us, forgetting that without Jesus, and what He has provided for us spiritually and physically, we would be no better than the person we are viewing! Such despising or as the text implies, preferential treatment of others, is deemed sin before God, something we must repent of and desist from! May the Lord help us to never be guilty of despising the poor, but rather stretch forth a helping hand, whether we perceive them to be needy in a socio-economic sense or in the even more relevant spiritual sense of soul poverty.

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Feb 15

“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness…” Proverbs 20:6

There is a general tendency for humans to want to be seen, noticed, appreciated and even praised when doing acts of benevolence or generally ‘good things’. Certainly in a world which majors on wrong doing and wickedness, any act of compassion, kindness and care, should be thoroughly appreciated. Genuine humility in doing ‘right’, and letting that be a reward in and of itself, is difficult to find. When from time to time this quality still surfaces, it is noticeable and thus a rare and precious commodity indeed! For the most, even when ‘good things’ are done among humans, it is usually with all the due credit giving and taking, and the fanfare, which leaves no doubt as to whom the ‘benefactor’ is. Jesus in the Gospels, taught His disciples the correct attitude in giving, when He showed the difference between the trumpet-blaring-attention-seeking of the hypocrite, and the faithfulness of the giver who does so ‘in secret’, as unto the Lord.  Faithfulness to God at this level is hard to find. There are that will give, but not without due credit, and sadly ‘giving’ even among believers, has become a means of personal positioning or credit taking. When we do ‘good’, it should be for Christians, a natural reaction to reflect all the glory and the praise to the Lord. We know without doubt that any goodness that can be found in us or from us, doesn’t belong to us, but comes from the Lord, and that it is to Him the praise and thanks should be given. We might summarise our correct position on this matter in this way: Firstly, let us to all the good we can possibly do with all our heart, strength, passion and resources. Secondly, let us say nothing of the good we might have done, but quietly and prayerfully thank the Lord for the opportunity and privilege to be used in this manner. Thirdly, in spite of our intentional lack of self-proclamation, should anyone notice and desire to acknowledge us in any manner, let us then remember that our reward is in heaven, and that the glory, praise and credit for all we are and have, belongs unto the Lord! Lastly, let us always analyse our reasons and motives in doing ‘good’. We should ensure that they are never tainted with cravings for the appreciation and accolades of man, false humility, or other egotistical motivations, but rather filled only with a passion to love, serve, please and glorify God!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Feb 6

“…He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly…” 2 Corinthians 9:6

The law of sowing and reaping is well established in scriptural teaching. It applies to each one of us and is an apt reminder that not only we reap what we sow, but as we are taught here, we also reap mainly to the degree and proportion to which we sow. This principle is readily seen in the natural. Given proper conditions, if we sow wheat, we will reap a wheat crop; and the size of the crop, will largely depend on how much wheat we sowed in the first place. Whilst it all seems logical and obvious in the physical application, we sometimes tend to miss the value of this concept, and its application in other areas of life. What we ‘sow’ by our actions and deeds, and how much we ‘sow’ - in the form of giving of ourselves, our time, attention or talent, can also greatly affect what, and how much we reap in the course of life . In the context of the passage, service in work of God and the giving unto the Lord for God’s work and the needs of His people, should not be done stingily! Self-control and frugality are great qualities when applied to the management of our personal expenditures or the management of our family funds and resources. In serving God however, and particularly in our giving unto the Lord, the biblical recommendation is to do so liberally, cheerfully and with all our hearts. Unlike our wheat crop example, above however, Christian giving should not be motivated by what we might receive in return. That aspect should be left to the Lord’s better judgement, and often if we give from a pure heart, we receive truly ‘good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over’ from the hand of the Lord. We already know from scripture that the rewards of heaven far outweigh anything we could possibly receive on earth anyway, so we are not likely to ever ‘out-give’ the Lord! This kind of giving is more like the quality and nature of God’s giving to us, the example of which, we see all around us and in everything He has created so freely for our benefit both now and in the future. Some spend a lifetime struggling over the measly ‘pennies’ of their giving and finding nothing but stress, insecurity and loss in the effort of ‘holding onto’ what they have. Others have found the joy of giving, truly exceeds that of receiving, and regularly, freely and willingly give all they can in time, money and effort, to benefit others. It is true that we can be takers or givers, and that givers are the happiest and most fulfilled individuals in the world. The choice remains with each of us as to whether we will follow God’s direction, and be one who not only sows good things, but does so plentifully.

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion