Dear Fellow Children of
God,
A week or so ago my
wife, Kathy, and I were driving to the store.
When we reached a red light at one local 4-lane intersection, we noticed
a man standing with a sign, looking into the windows of the cars. This man’s sign caught our attention; “Everybody
Needs Some Help Sometime.” The light
turned green and I was humming the old Dean Martin tune, “Everybody Needs
Somebody Sometime” as we drove through the intersection and saw another man on
the other side of the light. He too was
carrying a sign. That sign said the same
thing as that of the man on the other side of the light. I scratched my head. It looked like a group effort. In fact, we later saw people standing in all
4 directions of this intersection. What
does a child of God do?
It made me think of our
trip to Europe last fall. Especially in
Austria and southern Germany, we saw people requesting money for themselves and
their families. I asked one of our city guides
about those requesting help. She had
been a local legislator in Salzburg, and I figured she might understand this
situation better than I did. This guide’s
advise was, “Don’t give them anything. It
is an organized effort. We have places
for them to sleep and places for them to get food, and they won’t use them.” After her advice, as I walked around I
noticed similarities among those asking for help, and similarities in the signs
they used to request this help. Kathy
and I did, however, share leftovers from a large meal with a man we had seen
multiple times in Munich. Yet our guide had said, “Don’t help them.” What does a child of God do?
I also recently met a lady
in a Home Depot parking lot. As I got
out of the car she asked for help with food for herself and her 2 grandchildren. There was a Subway restaurant in the parking
lot, so I took her in there and let her order what she wanted and I paid for it. But, after this lady got her food, she sat
down and started eating. I never saw the
grandchildren. That made me wonder. Of course, in the Mat-Su Valley we also have
people in need. That is why agencies
such as Family Promise and My House exist.
But, what does a child of God
do when we see another in need?
Let me say, this question does not have an easy answer! Therefore, it is good to listen to what our
Lord says about life’s difficult questions.
Perhaps the most well-known verse from Jesus’ mouth on this topic of
helping others is found in His parable from Matthew 25. “35 For I was hungry and you gave
me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was
sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:35-36) Jesus encourages us to help the needy. Then, my daily devotional readings on January 29 had me reading
from Isaiah 58-59, where Isaiah chides the people of Judah because they worshiped
God outwardly, but not with their hearts.
Part of his declaration of their sinful spirits included these words, 6 "Is not this the kind of
fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of
the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share
your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when
you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and
blood?” (Isaiah 58:6-7) However, helping others is not the only way,
according to Isaiah 58, that God’s people would worship the Lord with contrite
hearts. They would also “keep from
breaking the Sabbath.” (Isaiah 58:13) Helping others is part of our bigger
relationship with God!
Yet, as I said earlier, this
question does not have an easy answer. Paul
writes to the Thessalonians, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not
work, he shall not eat.’" (2 Thessalonians 3:10) Also, the book of Proverbs is full of direction to be diligent in
work. Proverbs 6:6-11, encourages the
lazy man to consider the work of the lowly ant, and to follow that example. And, if you want to read more in Proverbs on
this topic, just look up the word, “sluggard.”
Helping people in need is not a cut and dried issue. In fact, I can remember times as a hospital chaplain
when the social workers arranged for people without housing to have a warm bed
and warm meals. But, the offer was sometimes
refused. There were times that those in
need preferred the freedom to do what they wanted while living in their car in
the Alaskan winter, to the need to obey rules in a place that would provide
shelter and food. What does a child of
God do when we see another in need?
However, when life situations and the word of God seem confusing, God’
children are still called to act with faith in our Lord and Savior and to act
in love for one another. Perhaps some
principals I have come to believe to be true, through experience and study of
God’s word, can help you as you consider, “What does a child of God do when
helping those in need?”
First, God wants us to help those in need. How to help is not always clear. But, God does want us to help. Consider also the parable of the Good
Samaritan. (Luke 10:25-37)
Second, as in Salzburg, supporting agencies which help others might
be the best way to help those in need. These
agencies can and do work toward long-term solutions, not a momentary fix.
Third, helping someone does not always mean giving them what they
want. Need and want are different. However, when helping an individual, giving
the things they need, such as the meal I provided the lady in the Home Depot
parking lot, is often better than giving money.
Finally, however, I try to be humble and consider how God has
helped me. We don’t always know the
difficulties a person faces that leads them to ask for help. Many on the streets fight mental
illness. Those on the street can come
from homes which are places of chaos, or danger. But, when I needed help with my rebellious
pride, with my fleshly desires, and with my incorrigible sin, God sent Jesus. “ . . . God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) And, the night before Jesus died for our sin,
after washing the feet of His disciples, he gave them these instructions, "A new command I give you: Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
So, if Jesus, the Son of God, went to the depths of dying the agonizing
death of a convicted criminal FOR ME, how should I love others? I do not always know how to help well. But, Jesus loved me, and I am called to love
others.
What should we
do the next time we see a person at a stop light with a sign asking for
help? That’s a good question! As a child of God I want to act wisely, trusting
in God’s love for me, and seeking to share that undeserved love with others.
A Child of God, Seeking
Answers in Helping Those in Need,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here is a picture from a family
gathering on January 18. https://photos.app.goo.gl/w9tDVJsyTpBZ2jiM7
P.P.S. Here are some pictures from
a fishing trip on the Suwannee River with my brother in law, Mark Reaves. https://photos.app.goo.gl/mJnA6o6ymc3T5oge8
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I
am now retired as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran in Palmer, AK. This
devotion was previously titled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
However, with life's changes I will now call it "Journeys Through Life as
a Child of God." I am only sending this message to those who have
asked o receive it. If you know someone else who desires to receive this
message, have them e-mail me at jonrock53@mtaonline.net. You can also
view this message on my Facebook page.
