Psalms 113:7 - and he lifts the poor from the dirt and the needy from the garbage dump. NLT
Luke 6:20-21 - "Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. NKJV
Thursday stunk! My wife, oldest son and I went with a group of American tourists and part time residents of Mazatlan to the city dump! We went to the “other side of Mazatlan.” Mazatlan is called the “Pearl of the Pacific”, and a beautiful “Pearl” it is. The beaches are wonderful, the weather fantastic, the food excellent, the people warm and friendly, but the garbage stinks!
Why would a bunch of tourists and part time residents go “tour’ the city dump you ask? Well, because Jesus is there with the poorest of Mazatlan handing out water, oranges and sandwiches. I cannot think of anyone I would rather hang out with than Jesus. I saw Him in the eyes of the beautiful children and the men and women who make their living picking through the mountains of stench-filled refuse. One woman we gave a sandwich to looked so incredibly sad and broken, I nearly wept on the spot. Another man spoke almost perfect English and had lived in Fresno, California most of his life. Peggy and I found ourselves perplexed as we speculated on what his story must be and what could have brought him to this low point in life.
On the bus ride back, I turned to a lady sitting next to me and spoke what I have thought so many times before while among the world’s poorest in some of my travels. I said, “Any of us could have been born here in this dump. We had nothing to do with the sovereign choice of God in choosing our parents, our place of birth, or our initial station in life.” We have some power to change our lives once we are of age, but ultimately so many of the things that make us who we are have been chosen by Another.
I don’t understand the “whys” behind all of these statements, but I do know that Jesus wants us to take some cold water, sandwiches and His good news to the poor. He challenges us to never forget that it is His grace which has given us so much to enjoy. He calls us to remember the poor, because we are just like them. A few small changes in our life story, and it would be you or I sifting through the garbage dumps of Manila, Cairo, Bangkok, Lagos, New York or Mazatlan. Never forget, but remember!
Matthew 25:37-40 - 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' NKJV
It is an awful fact that the adorable Redeemer and only Saviour of men is by the prophetic declaration of the Scripture concerning Him, " A stone of stumbling and rock of offense " (Isa. 8:14; 1 Pet. 2:8), when/wherever He comes in His Spirit, life and power.
ReplyDeleteOur fintite mind will never be able to proceed through life without finding something it can not comprehend and in that 'unknowing' we wil do one of three things:
1) shrug it off and go on in ignorance.
2) question it, get frustrated and create our own truths to furnish us with an acceptable answer.
3) wonder at it, question it, shake it our heads and then place our fears, frustrations and questions squarely in the Lap of Christ and be secure in His soveriegn works by His soveriegn will.
Far sooner might the sun be stopped in his course than God be hindered in His work or in His will. God sees beyond this age to the very end of days. Oswald Chambers writes: “Will He find the kind of faith that counts on Him in spite of the confusion?" My questions about things incomprehensible to me are no longer "Where are you, God?" or "Why did You allow this?". Instead it have become, "Where am I in this plan?", & "What do You want of me?"
Don't get me wrong, I still wrestle with my human "control freak", it's just that more recently the paradigm has begun to shift, and from it grace abounds much more.
There may be people living in inhumane conditions for no more reason than to draw compassion from your soul, tenderize your heart and give you an outlet to be Jesus in a practical way. Is that a big enough reason for us?
"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our Lord is this, to visit the orphan and widow in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
ReplyDeleteYou can't ever go wrong with being the hands and feet of Jesus!