Proverbs 24:11-12 (KJV): 11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are
ready to be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he
that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?
Thoughts for the Day
These verses in Proverbs tell us that our Christian duty is to try and rescue those who are in situations that will
lead them to death. We cannot turn a deaf ear to those who are crying for help, nor can we shut our eyes to the suffering
around us. We live in an hour when television transmits tragic situations into our living rooms and we must take our responsibility
to help those whom we can. We must keep our ears open to the Holy Spirit as to what He wants us to do when things are brought
to our attention. Obviously, we cannot help the whole world, but we can help that one person or that one situation that God
lays upon our heart to help. We must not become callous to the suffering we see in our world. We must always stand ready to
reach out to the helpless, the poor, the hurting, the hungry and the sick.
Psalm 41:1-3: 1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver
him in time of trouble. 2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou
wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. 3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt
make all his bed in his sickness.
To sum up our Christian duty to the needy, I am reminded of a stanza from an old hymn that says, we are to -- "Rescue the
perishing; care for the dying."
At times, the Lord may have us actually go to someone, or the physical site, and give of our personal assistance. In other
cases, we should give of our finances to help those who are there, ready to help, but need our support. We can all help by
taking time to pray for those who are going through trials or pain.Prayer changes things.The Lord commissioned us, as His
people, to help the poor and needy. He tells us in the scripture below, that when we give to others with needs, it is, as
if we are giving directly to Jesus.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for blessing me and Lord, give me a greater heart to reach out and bless others. Lord,
keep me from selfishness, greed, insecurity, lust, indifference and any other thing that would keep me from giving of the
things You have given me. May I always be reminded that all I own belongs to You, and I am only a steward over it. Lord, I
want to hear Your voice as to where I should give and how much I should give. Lord, I always want to be generous and kind
and one who reaches out to the poor and needy. Help me to be sensitive to those who are hurting and deliver me from any hardness
of heart that would cause me to turn a deaf ear to the needs of others. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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