The ministry of Jesus on earth had one central & recurrent theme: COMPASSION. It was entirely a people-centered ministry, propelled by God's unconditional love. Wherever Jesus went, He did GOOD! He knew the secret of Touching Heaven & Changing Earth. I love the quote below:
"A gospel that does NOT deal with the issues of the day is NOT a gospel at all". [Rick Warren]
It is high time that the Church of Christ doubled up its role in the provision of more SOLUTIONS to the problems bedeviling the modern day society. The Lord Jesus was NOT only interested in teaching multitudes the word of God, but more so, He was interested in practicing what He taught by literally addressing the challenges people faced. Why? Because He was full of compassion! Luke 9:12 records:
"When the day began to wear away, the twelve came & said to Him, 'Send the multitude AWAY that they may go into the surrounding towns & country, and lodge & get provisions; for we are in deserted place here".
However, the Lord of Mercy was NOT ready to listen to the lame excuses His lieutenants were giving for not showing compassion to the multitudes. The devil, in most cases, will give us the "DON'T CARE" attitude towards those that we need to show mercy towards. Matthew 15: 32 illustrates the compassionate nature of Jesus Christ, the great Lord of Mercy:
"Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself & said, 'I have COMPASSION on the multitude, because they have continued with Me three days & have nothing to eat. And I do NOT want to send them away hungry, lest they FAINT on the way".
The devil is well aware that we really want to be like Jesus [merciful], and so, he will always make us find sufficient EXCUSES as to why we CANNOT show mercy to those that deserve, and MISS out on the accompanying blessings [Psalm 41: 1-2]. At times we will find ourselves in the company of people that may discourage us from showing compassion to others. A Christian devoid of compassion is a great oxymoron! This is because we are PRODUCTS of mercy & daily recipients of God's tender mercies. The disciples of Jesus never got tired of shielding The Lord of Mercy from showing compassion to the needy. Matthew 15: 23 is a good example of this:
"But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came & urged Him, saying, 'Send them AWAY, for she cries out after us'.
The Lord of lords was ever tolerant with His self-centered right-hand men, and ignored them by showing mercy to the woman of Canaan all the same, whose daughter was demon-possessed. In most cases, Jesus NEVER waited for the people to beg for His mercy. Luke 7: 13 records:
"When the Lord SAW her, He had compassion on her & said to her, 'Do not weep'. Then He came & touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise'.
The fact that Jesus wept when He heard about the death of Lazarus is a clear confirmation of how compassionate He was. The Son of God crying? What a merciful Savior we have! John 11: 33 recounts this:
"Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He GROANED in the spirit & was troubled". Verse 35-36 records:
"Jesus WEPT. Then the Jews said, 'See how He LOVED him!'.
Love & compassion go hand-in-hand. It takes the sincere love of God so as to show others compassion. We can NEVER be merciful to the people we don't truly love! God is full of mercy, and so, may God help you & I to grow & increase in mercy, the same way we grow in faith. This is a very important ATTRIBUTE of God that we can' afford to lack. It is the TRUE religion: of love. Ever wondered why some of the CELEBRITIES we may want to classify as the most wicked are living LONG & getting wealthier? The wonderful Madonna, Paul Hewson...just to name a few? They are full of charitable deeds towards the needy! It could be the only reason God is protecting them, as we concentrate on pointing accusing fingers! They seem to understand some portions of the scripture better than you & I do, though they are non-believers. We don't have to be wealthy so as to show mercy, even the POOREST man on earth is EXPECTED to be merciful! Matthew 5: 7 records:
"Blessed are the MERCIFUL, for they shall OBTAIN mercy".
I will close by quoting one of the greatest men in the history of America & the whole world.
"How FAR you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, COMPASSIONATE withe aged, SYMPATHETIC with the striving & tolerant of the weak & strong. Because some day in your life you will have been all these". [George Washington]
May the Lord of Mercy BLESS you in every way as you grow & increase in mercy. Amen!!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Kingdom Investment
Manufacturers produce goods so as they serve specific purposes. Any time a manufactured product fails to accomplish the intended goal, this frustrates the manufacturer! Similarly, God created each one of us so as we fulfill a particular MISSION in life. Life should be more than simply growing up, getting a good education, securing a nice job, accumulating some wealth, getting married, raising children & grand-children, retiring and dying comfortably, LOL!
In the book of Genesis 5: 1-20, we are given a genealogy from Adam to Noah. Interestingly, there is nothing MEMORABLE about all the people mentioned, except the outstanding case of Noah in verse 21! Genesis 5: 12-14 records:
"When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalel. And after he became the father of Mahalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons & daughters. Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and the he died ".
Nothing significant can be remembered of Kenan! What will you be remembered for?
Dorcas (Tabitha) left an INDELIBLE mark in people's lives. She was full of good works and charitable deeds (Acts 9: 36). When she died, everyone was overcome by great grief! Acts 9:39 recounts this.
"Then Peter arose & went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics & garments which Dorcas had MADE while she was with them".
Because Dorcas was in the Heavenly records of GOOD WORKS, God could NOT allow her to die! He had to use Apostle Peter to bring her back to life! Your good works will always present themselves before God any time you're in danger or whatever form of distress & PLEAD for your safety, and God will always come to your rescue (Revelation 14: 13 & Psalm 41: 1-2). Let's examine the account of Cornelius in Acts 10: 1-2.
"There was a certain man in Caesaria called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man & one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always".
Due to the kind of man Cornelius was, God was always PROVOKED to bless him! Acts 10:4b recounts this so well. And an angel said to Cornelius,
"...your prayers & your alms have come up for a MEMORIAL before God".
What will we be remembered for? Do we have any good works that will follow us?
PRAYER:
"Dear Lord Jesus Christ, we not only want you to do something for us, but we want to do something for You. As children of DESTINY, we ask you to help us to leave a positive impact in peoples lives, to do something you will always remember us for. We declare that our destinies are SECURE, they will not be terminated prematurely in the name of Jesus! Give us the grace to TOUCH HEAVEN & CHANGE EARTH, our small "earth" which is the HEARTS of people. Our Kingdom investment shall NEVER be in vain. Amen!!!
In the book of Genesis 5: 1-20, we are given a genealogy from Adam to Noah. Interestingly, there is nothing MEMORABLE about all the people mentioned, except the outstanding case of Noah in verse 21! Genesis 5: 12-14 records:
"When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalel. And after he became the father of Mahalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons & daughters. Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and the he died ".
Nothing significant can be remembered of Kenan! What will you be remembered for?
Dorcas (Tabitha) left an INDELIBLE mark in people's lives. She was full of good works and charitable deeds (Acts 9: 36). When she died, everyone was overcome by great grief! Acts 9:39 recounts this.
"Then Peter arose & went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics & garments which Dorcas had MADE while she was with them".
Because Dorcas was in the Heavenly records of GOOD WORKS, God could NOT allow her to die! He had to use Apostle Peter to bring her back to life! Your good works will always present themselves before God any time you're in danger or whatever form of distress & PLEAD for your safety, and God will always come to your rescue (Revelation 14: 13 & Psalm 41: 1-2). Let's examine the account of Cornelius in Acts 10: 1-2.
"There was a certain man in Caesaria called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man & one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always".
Due to the kind of man Cornelius was, God was always PROVOKED to bless him! Acts 10:4b recounts this so well. And an angel said to Cornelius,
"...your prayers & your alms have come up for a MEMORIAL before God".
What will we be remembered for? Do we have any good works that will follow us?
PRAYER:
"Dear Lord Jesus Christ, we not only want you to do something for us, but we want to do something for You. As children of DESTINY, we ask you to help us to leave a positive impact in peoples lives, to do something you will always remember us for. We declare that our destinies are SECURE, they will not be terminated prematurely in the name of Jesus! Give us the grace to TOUCH HEAVEN & CHANGE EARTH, our small "earth" which is the HEARTS of people. Our Kingdom investment shall NEVER be in vain. Amen!!!
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