The Least – by Pastor David

Elevation – Here as in Heaven

There are four different groups of people in Scripture that the Bible repeatedly addresses as those to whom God is passionate about. The four groups are; **widows, orphans, the poor and the foreigner.** (Psalm 68:3-5, Psalm 10:17-18, Jeremiah 49:11, Deuteronomy 10:17-18)

These groups are highlighted over and over as to the ones that God defends, protects and watches over. In fact, He calls the Israelites to devote resources and compassion to each. (Psalm 82:3-4, Exodus 22:22-23) That theme is then repeated in the New Testament. (Matthew 7:12, James 1:27, Acts 20:35, Galatians 2:10)

With this as a backdrop, we need to fully understand that mere personal spirituality is not what God is fully looking for. We cannot simply rely on our own spirituality and think we are being fully pleasing to God and accomplish the mission He has for us.

Let me put it more bluntly. It’s easy to go to church, have personal devotions at home and live a pretty good life. But, that’s not what God has called us to. That is close to hypocritical and pharisaical. God has called us out of our comfort zones and into the world. _He calls us to action, not just words._

Today, something sparked within me that is reverberating in my spirit. I preached a message about the orphan and the messy lives of people and was hit directly with the mess. I encountered someone whose life was a mess — whose family situation was all but tragically torn apart. Kids were involved in the mess and those kids were experiencing the challenges of decisions they never made.

My thoughts began to formulate…are we as a church ready to help the messy? I hope we are. But honestly, I’m not sure.

I can say this, we have a small alms team that distributes finances and helps those whose lives are messy. I’ve watched the alms team closely for about 2 years. Without a doubt, they excel at helping the messy. But are we as a church ready to roll up our sleeves and go the distance. It’s a prayer I’m formulating and something I’m beginning to wrestle with God about.

I do know this, God is looking for us to not only love Him but to love others. And it doesn’t mean we just love with words, we must love with our actions.

What does it mean for you love others (the orphan, the widow, the foreigner, the poor) with actions, not just words?