THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Matthew 25:35-36

As one reads our text for the day. You can quickly see that all six needs that Jesus puts emphasis on, society says they ought to do better, look better, smell better, and act better. In the eyes of the profession of Life Insurance, they are not even considered worthy of their business. To break it down, society states "That's their problem, they need to fix it." 

On the other hand, the High Net Worth clients is preferred by society. For all of us, these six types of people we never want to be. But whatever circumstances lead people to this place, there are people who literally have nothing but misfortune, and who look to the kindness of others to get them by. However, there are some people who exploit that kindness when they don't need help at all.

We do not choose who we belong to when we enter this world. Society has gotten away from a Spiritual foundation, which is required by us as human beings to balance everyday situations. When one reads the Bible, you will find that the word Poor" and "poverty" appear 446 times in 384 separate verses. "Wealth" can be found 1,453 times in 1,273 verses. "Justice," in contrast, appears 1,576 times in the Old and New Testament in 1,379 separate verses.

When we look at the numbers, we must ask ourselves, if the writers of the Bible had to write about our dispensation. What will the numbers be of the poor? Obvious, there is a work to be done by our churches, and our community that few have any     idea of for the poor. “I was an hungred,” Christ says, “and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”

What happens to one who is in need of food? Like it or not, after 6 hours, one becomes either angry or hungry. Between the 6-72 hours, the body enters a state called ketosis, as it begins to fast or starve. Beyond 72 hours, your body looks to get energy from other sources and starts to use protein reserves. After 1-2 weeks, without any vitamins or minerals, the body’s immune system starts to shut down along with any ‘unnecessary’ bodily functions. Lastly after 3 weeks - 70 days, the body goes into starvation states that lead to death.

In understanding these things, the time has come for all to work together. At times we may be called upon to give of our means to support the laborer of the servants of God in the harvest field. As time unfolds, and when Jesus is seen coming in the clouds of heaven, we shall all rejoice together in the gathering of the sheaves.

While this is a future reality, there is a work to be done now, that is untouched by the majority of Christendom that Jesus says must be done. The mission of Christ was to heal the sick, encourage the hopeless, bind up the brokenhearted. This work of restoration is to be carried on among the needy, suffering ones of humanity. God calls not only for your benevolence, but our cheerful countenance, our hopeful words, the grasp of our hand. Today He is calling upon you to relieve the afflicted ones nearest you. 

Some of them are sick with nothing but the shirt on their back and hope has departed. As follows of God, we are called to bring back the sunlight in them. There are souls who have lost their courage; all they need is someone to talk to, pray with, and open the Bible with understanding. The Holy Spirit is waiting to use you to make a living impressions upon the heart of some soul today. 

But many of us are ready to question the power of God through the Holy Spirit. The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia summarizes the gospel message this way: "The central truth of the gospel is that God has provided a way of salvation for men through the gift of His son to the world. He suffered as a sacrifice for sin, overcame death, and now offers a share in His triumph to all who will accept it. The gospel is good news because it is (the) gift of God, not something that must be earned by penance or by self-improvement." John 3:16; Romans 5:8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:14-19; Titus 2:11-14; Psalms 4:1-4. 

In other words, "The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ," by C.H. Spurgeon. Secondly, the outgrowth of the gospel is service to others first. According to Ma Kathleen Ford of Bermuda, whose mother instilled in her family, and she stilled in hers. She says, "Unless you go out of your way to help someone, you haven't done anything." 

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

"This is the kind of medical missionary work to be done. Bring the sunshine of the Sun of Righteousness into the room of the sick and suffering. Teach the inmates and the poor how to cook. “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd,” with temporal and spiritual food."

Over the years, hundreds of people have tried to carry the Gospel to the Poor. There has been as still are campaigns, strategies, and entrepreneurial ventures aimed at helping the poor and needed. As for our modern societies, most of them have evolved into an incredibly wasteful people. "The average consumer wastes worldwide are 10 to 20 times as much food as someone living in the 1970s. According to the National Resources Defense Council, they explain that, “Approximately "40 percent of food in the United States today goes uneaten. That is more than 20 pounds of food per person every month." The problem is hardly limited to the U.S. Some 100 million tons of food is wasted annually in the EU, and if nothing is done it's expected the amount of food waste there will hit 126 million tons each year.

A recently passed law in France will make it illegal for supermarkets to throw away food that is still edible. Starting in July 2016, French supermarkets that otherwise would have tossed out foods at or near their expiration dates—and that sometimes poured bleach on them to discourage dumpster divers from salvaging them—will be obligated to give the items to charity or farms (for animal feed) or face the possibility of fines and even jail time.”

To bring some balance to this, “As nutrition, environmental, and personal finance experts have noted, many food expiration dates are confusing, overly cautious, or both, and the result is that plenty of perfectly edible food (and money) is wasted. It's been estimated that $160 billion worth of food in the U.S. alone is never actually eaten.

Tesco, the largest independent supermarket chain in England and one of the biggest in the world, has launched a pilot initiative at 10 of its stores in the UK that will distribute 30,000 tons of perishable food annually to registered charities. In the past, Tesco had been known to prosecute people as thieves when they took food that was thrown out by its grocery stores. Two other large supermarket brands in the UK, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, have started similar giveaway programs for perishable foods that would otherwise wind up in the trash.” Go to http://time.com/money/3913386/food-waste-feed-hungry/ for more information on food programs. Or you can go to other helplines that is helping the needs of those without by clicking onto https://mswonlineprograms.org/poverty-hunger/ and http://www.our-africa.org/poverty . If your country has a non for profit programs that is helping the needs of humanity, let us know so we can tell the world.  

But what is God method of reaching the needy? "The poverty of the people to whom we are sent is not to prevent us from working for them. Christ came to this earth to walk and work among the poor and suffering. They received the greatest share of His attention.  

What a world this would be, when we stop talking about helping those in need, and do it from the heart! Walking among the poor and suffering, giving them our full attention. Although it's not a lot of people involved in this work in country's around the world, God is working through his special agent, visiting the poor and needy, relieving woes of men, and alleviating suffering with the hope of the gospel. 

In Mark 14:7, Jesus, in speaking to His disciples makes this comment, "The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me." Why did Jesus make this statement? Is this one of the strongest statements of the biblical mandate to end poverty? Does the Bible say that we can never end poverty or does it support a movement to abolish poverty with the poor taking the lead? To further answer this question, let’s us see what the pen of inspiration has to say on the subject. 

"Take away suffering and need, and we should have no way of understanding the mercy and love of God, no way of knowing the compassionate, sympathetic heavenly Father. Never does the gospel put on an aspect of greater loveliness than when it is brought to the most needy and destitute regions. Then it is that its light shines forth with the clearest radiance and the greatest power. Truth from the Word of God enters the hovel of the peasant; rays from the Sun of Righteousness light up the rude cottage of the poor, bringing gladness to the sick and suffering. Angels of God are there, and the simple faith shown makes the crust of bread and the cup of water a banquet."

"The sin-pardoning Saviour welcomes the poor and ignorant, and gives them to eat of the bread that comes down from heaven. They drink of the water of life. Those who have been loathed and abandoned are through faith and pardon raised to the dignity of sons and daughters of God. Lifted above the world, they sit in heavenly places in Christ. They may have no earthly treasure, but they have found the Pearl of great price." 

Let us study how best we can help those in our neighborhood who take no interest in spiritual things. Start by visiting them, showing interest in their spiritual as well as in their temporal welfare. Invite them to your home, and fellowship with them by sharing good food and things to drink. If they like, read with them from the Bible and explain its truths. These and other things will touch their hearts and lead them to the God of love. 

"The work of gathering in the needy, the oppressed, the suffering, the destitute, is the very work which every church that believes the truth for this time should long since have been doing. We are to show the tender sympathy of the Samaritan, ... feeding the hungry, bringing the poor that are cast out to our homes, gathering from God every day grace and strength that will enable us to reach to the very depths of human misery and help those who cannot possibly help themselves. In doing this work we have a favorable opportunity to set forth Christ the Crucified One."

Lastly, many wonder why their prayers are so lifeless, their faith so feeble and wavering, their Christian experience so dark and uncertain. “Have we not fasted,” they say, “and walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?” In the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah, the Bible has shown how us how this condition of things may be changed. It says: “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose they bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” Verses 6, 7. 

This is the recipe that God has prescribed for the faint-hearted, doubting, trembling soul. Let the sorrowful ones, who walk mournfully before the Lord, arise and help someone who needs help, and they shall be at peace. This is the only way how we can have greater faith, and be more fervent in prayer. We all need of the controlling power of the Holy Spirit; and now is the time to pray for it. There is a great variety of work, adapted to different minds and varied capabilities that needs to be done. Let us pray that God will help us, in our own special way, become the HEART OF THE GOSPEL to some today. 

A prayerful moment: Father, help me give back to You, by helping someone in need near me. Amen!

Song of the day: White Heart | We are His hands | Legendas PT

Thank you for your prayers for this ministry, and may the blessings of the Lord rest on you, and your family always. If you have a comment, write to  comments    

Blessings, Blessing, Blessings

Garden Ministry Devotionals are written by Chaplain Kevin J.T. Santucci

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