Scripture: Acts 4 v 31 - 35: "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need."
In various parables and teachings Jesus taught us that He own this Earth and all it contains, including us humans. When He left He gave us the role of stewards over His household. The full power to do what needed to be done to improve His portfolio.
We are being changed to be like Him, to match His body, His DNA, His selflessness. He gave everything He had to make a way for us to come home to Heaven. He laid down His life so we could have eternal life and the blessed assurance of salvation.
To be like Him we must own nothing. We must be willing to pool our resources so all our fellow Christians can live abundantly. Find a way to make up for the lack others are experiencing. Minimise your wardrobe and give to the poor. Thin out your store of unused tinned food and make parcels for the elderly struggling on very little income.
If Jesus is in your heart you will have compassion on the less fortunate. The word JOY can be read Jesus first, yourself last and others in between. That brings true joy because its more blessed to give than to receive. You can never give more than God returns to you. He blesses those who share and give cheerfully with great abundance so they can keep on giving.
You cannot meet the needs of every needy person, but the Lord will direct you, when you ask Him, to some who are in need that you can reach. When you are obedient He opens the windows of heaven to pour out His blessings upon you. Even in these hard and dark times He finds unique and unusual ways to keep us enjoying His abundance.
Let His love flow through you, don't turn a blind eye, or withhold something that would mean more to the needy than to you. Jesus says , Do unto others as you want others to do to you. If you need love then start the ball rolling. Start loving your neighbours and helping them. Don't evaluate them according to your status, but in the knowledge that Jesus saw value in this person that he was worth dying for.
If you need family around you start being a family member of God's family. Start participating in the lives around you, then you will have that feeling of belonging. Whatever you create to do for Jesus, He will respond. If you give, He gives back, if you love He sends His love back through others. God responds to what we do that is His will.
Many of those begging are foreigners with university degrees. Qualified doctors, specialists, engineers, accountants who had to flee tyranny but have no work permits for this country. This world has much cruelty to deal with. Let us be the difference, showing them the love of Jesus, making Him known to them.
In this pandemic many people have stepped up to help in wonderful ways, others are self-satisfied and forgetful of the misery of others. Not my problem they say. Jesus befriended beggars, people low down in life and lifted them, healed them, loved them, blessed them. He is our example to follow. He loves us and wants us to reveal that love to as many as possible.
Deuteronomy 8 v 12 - 17: "Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth."
When the Lord has blessed you, He does not enjoy knowing you did it all yourself, so always thank and praise Him for all that you have. Give Him the opportunity to direct the overflow of blessings to where He wants them, in this way you make space for more to come your way.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us not to be complacent and uncaring, change us into those who can touch others with love and compassion, as You have done for us. Let us portray Jesus in the most favourable way by doing what He would do in the situations before us. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.