2023-04-18
Psalm 41:1 NIV
Three-quarters of the world’s income ends up in the pockets of 20 percent of its population. Think of it this way: Ten dairy farmers live in the same valley, and among them they own ten cows. But the cows aren’t evenly distributed, one cow to one farmer. It’s more like this: Two farmers own eight cows, while the other eight farmers share two cows. Does that seem right? The two farmers who own eight cows might easily say, “I worked for my cows.” But the question is, what responsibility does God place on the “haves” with regard to the “have-nots”?
First, that you allow yourself to feel concern and compassion. Second, that you get out of your comfort zone and do something about it. “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. The Lord protects and preserves them – they are… blessed in the land – he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them” (vv. 1-3 NIV).
When you bless the poor, God blesses you. So, as one leader wrote, make this your prayer: “Lord, you promised we would always have the poor among us. Help me to make sure that the reverse is also true: that I’m always among the poor – helping, encouraging, and lending a hand wherever I can. Enable me to love the invisible God by serving the very visible poor in my corner of the world. Help me to be creative without being condescending, encouraging without being egotistic, and fearless without being foolish. May the poor bless You because of me… amen.”
Soul food: 1 Cor 4-6; Matt 1:18-25; Ps 43; Prov 10:10
2023-04-17
Jeremia 22:16 NLV
Toe hy ‘n teologiestudent was, het Jim Wallis en sommige van sy klasmaats elke vers oor armoede, rykdom, geregtigheid en onderdrukking met ‘n skêr uit die Bybel gesny. Teen die tyd wat hulle klaar was, het daar amper tweeduisend verse op die vloer gelê! Die feit is dat wanneer jy besorgdheid oor die armes uit jou Bybel sny, sny jy die hart daaruit! Hier is een so ‘n vers: ‘Hy het gesorg vir arm en behoeftige mense… Daarom het dit goed gegaan met hom. Wys dit nie dat hy My ken nie?’ vra die Here’ (vers 16 NLV).
Jesus het dikwels die Skrif aangehaal, maar net op een geleentheid lees ons waar Hy die Skrif neem en daaruit voorlees. Watter gedeelte het Hy gekies om in die openbaar voor te lees? ‘Die Gees van die Here is op My omdat Hy My aangestel het om die Goeie Nuus vir die armes aan te kondig… dat gevangenes vrygelaat sal word, dat blindes sal sien, dat onderdruktes bevry sal word van hulle verdrukkers’ (Lukas 4:18 NLV). Hier was sy doenlysie: hulp vir liggaam en siel, krag vir die fisiese en die geestelike en terapie vir die tydelike en die ewige.
Daar is sommige mense (alhoewel hulle in die minderheid is) wat arm is omdat hulle lui is en moet leer dat God se Woord sê: ‘…As iemand nie wil werk nie, moet hy ook nie eet nie’ (2 Tessalonisense 3:10 NLV). Ander is egter arm omdat parasiete hulle liggame verswak het, of omdat hulle elke dag ses ure bestee om water te gaan kry, of omdat hulle grond van hulle afgevat is, of VIGS hulle ouers se lewens geëis het. Hierdie is die mense wat God ons opdrag gegee het om voor te sorg!
Sielskos: 1 Kor 1-3; Matt 1:7-17; Ps 56; Spr 10:8-9
Jeremiah 22:16 NIV
When he was a seminary student, Jim Wallis and some of his classmates took scissors to the Bible and cut out every verse about poverty, wealth, justice, or oppression. And would you believe it, by the time they had finished, there were some two thousand verses lying on the floor! The fact is, when you cut concern for the poor from your Bible, you cut the heart right out of it! Here is one such verse: “‘He defended the cause of the poor and needy… so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?’ declares the Lord” (v. 16 NIV).
Jesus often quoted Scripture, but only on one occasion do we find Him selecting and reading from it. And what portion did He choose to read publicly? “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners… recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18 NIV). Here was His to-do list: help for body and soul, strength for the physical and spiritual, and therapy for temporal and eternal.
Now some people (albeit a minority) are poor because they’re lazy and need to be taught that God’s Word says, “those unwilling to work will not get to eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10 NLT). But others are poor because parasites have weakened their bodies, or they spend six hours every day collecting water, or rebel armies have destroyed their farms, or AIDS has claimed their parents. These are the people God has assigned us to care for!
Soul food: 1 Cor 1-3; Matt 1:7-17; Ps 56; Prov 10:8-9
2023-04-16
Handelinge 6:1 DB
Aangesien die regering in die tyd van die Nuwe Testament nie na weduwees en weeskinders omgesien het nie, het die kerk verantwoordelikheid daarvoor geneem. Ongelukkig het vooroordeel sy lelike kop uitgesteek en het die Joodse weduwees en weeskinders voorkeurbehandeling bo die ander gekry. Hoe het die kerkleiers daarop gereageer? Hulle kon dit maklik afgewys het, soos ons so dikwels doen. Hulle kon gesê het: ‘Ons is geroepe om siele, nie mae nie, te voed. Ons hanteer kwessies van sonde en redding, nie van sandale en sop nie.’
Hier is egter wat hulle gedoen het. Eerstens, het hulle ‘n vergadering belê om die probleem op te los (sien Handelinge 6:2). Hulle het elke gemeentelid laat verstaan dat hulle armoede ernstig opneem en dat elkeen persoonlik voor God verantwoordelik is om iets daaraan te doen. Die Skrif steun nie gedwonge kommunisme nie, maar dit skryf duidelike Gees-geleide vrywilligerswerk voor.
Tweedens, het hulle die probleem aan hulle slimste en beste mense gegee. Hulle het sewe mans – gerespekteerde gemeentelede, vol van die Heilige Gees en wysheid – gekies om die verantwoordelikheid oor te neem (sien Handelinge 6:3).
In plaas daarvan om ons kinders vir belangrike velde soos medies, die regte, politiek of die regering voor te berei, kom ons leer hulle dat om na behoeftiges om te sien, een van God se hoogste roepings is.
Hoekom gaan meer as ‘n biljoen mense elke aand honger bed toe? Hoekom sterf meer as dertigduisend kinders (een elke drie sekondes) aan wanvoeding en voorkomende siektes wanneer ons iets daaraan kan doen? Niemand kan alles doen nie, maar God het elkeen van ons geroep om iets te doen! ‘Suiwer en onbevlekte godsdiens… is dat ons weeskinders en weduwees in hulle swaarkry versorg, en dat ons nie toelaat dat die wêreld ons besmet nie’ (Jakobus 1:27 NLV).
Sielskos: 2 Kon 6:1-23; Ef 1:15-23
Acts 6:1 NIV
Since the government didn’t care for widows and orphans back in New Testament times, the church took on that responsibility. Unfortunately, bias raised its ugly head and Jewish widows and orphans were given preferential treatment over Gentile widows and orphans. How did the church leaders respond? They could easily have dismissed it, like we so often do. They could have said, “We’re called to feed souls, not stomachs. We deal in matters of sin and salvation, not sandals and soup.”
Instead, here is what they did. First, they called a meeting to resolve the problem (See Acts 6:2). They let every member know that their church took poverty seriously, and they were each personally responsible before God to do something about it. The Scripture doesn’t endorse forced communism, but it clearly teaches Spirit-led volunteerism. Second, they assigned the problem to their brightest and best. They selected seven men – well respected, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom – and gave them this responsibility (See Acts 6:3 NLT).
Instead of grooming our children for “important” fields like medicine, law, politics, or government, let’s teach them that caring for the needy is one of God’s highest callings. Why do a billion people go to bed hungry each night? Or thirty thousand-plus children die every single day (one every three seconds) from malnutrition and preventable diseases when we can do something about it? No one can do everything, but God has called each of us to do something! “Pure and genuine religion… means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let world [systems] corrupt you [into believing that it’s not your responsibility]” (James 1:27 NLT).
Soul food: 2 Kings 6:1-23; Eph 1:15-23
