The Cry Of The Poor

A young minister and a seasoned pastor were talking about serving the Lord. “When you were first beginning your ministry and were my age, what was your greatest desire?” he asked. 

“To know the Scriptures and understand them to the best of my ability. If I could accomplish that,” said the seasoned servant, “I knew that I would know the Savior better and be able to serve Him more effectively.” 

Our Lord wants each of us to have that same desire – to know Him personally, intimately. God is anxious to speak to each of us individually as He has always done. He called Abraham personally, wrestled with Jacob, and addressed Moses from a burning bush. He spoke through prophets and priests, preachers and psalmists. 

Through inspired writers, He gave us words of wisdom and volumes of knowledge. He even carried on a direct dialogue with David.  

“I have seen violence done to the helpless and heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rescue them!” God has a special place in His heart for those who are poor and helpless. He heard their cries and promised to send a Messiah to rescue them from their oppressors – and He did. No one, even those who see themselves as insignificant, is beyond the eye or reach of the Lord. So, He calls us to serve them on His behalf. 

Daniel was cast into a den of lions. Howl and cry as loudly as they could, they were not able to harm a hair on his head. As with Daniel, so with us. God will never allow His beloved to be destroyed by an oppressor. 

Prayer: Lord, if we ever feel unimportant to You, help us to recall Your Word and know that You will rescue us. Grant us the gift of faith.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Scripture For Today: The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.” Psalm 12:5 

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Flawless

Flawless: Having no faults, flaws, or defects; having no imperfections; something that has nothing that can in any way diminish its value. Seeing something flawless or holding an object that is flawless, or knowing of something that is flawless, is rare. Yet, most of us own or have access to something that is flawless. 

David said, “The words of the Lord are flawless.” Why so? If we are to depend on them and believe in them and live by them, they must be flawless. 

His promises must be flawless. They are not like the records of athletes that are made only to be broken by someone who is faster, stronger, or wiser. If the words of God could be replaced by someone else’s words, we would not be able to trust Him or have faith and confidence in Him. 

His promises must not only be flawless; they must be fruitful. Someone has counted more than 30,000 promises in the Bible. That number is far beyond what anyone can ever claim or need. As long as we live, we will never come to the end of them because He has promised to meet our every need, every day as long we live. 

His promises must not only be flawless and fruitful; they must be forceful. If God makes a promise, He will be able to bring it to completion. Always remember that He has all of the power that brought the universe into existence at His disposal. If He said it, it is as good as done. 

His promises must not only be flawless, fruitful, and forceful - they must be fulfilling. Because He created us, He knows what we need before we need it. 

Prayer:  How grateful we are Father, to know that we can depend on Your flawless, fruitful, forceful, and fulfilling Word to meet our every need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Scripture For Today: May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks proud things, Psalm 12:3 

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The Flaw Of Flattery

An old English fable contains a truth well worth repeating. 

A crow swooped low over the lunch of a peasant and stole a piece of cheese. A wise fox, watching the crow with jealousy, wanted the cheese for himself. 

“O Crow,” he said in his most flattering voice, “how beautiful are your wings. How brightly shine your searching eyes. How graceful is your strong, flexible neck. Your chest is the chest of a soaring eagle. Your talons are no match for all the beasts of the field. O that such a bird would lack only a voice.” 

The crow was thrilled and excited over the flattery. Chuckling to herself, she decided to surprise the fox with her voice. When she opened her mouth, the cheese fell to the ground, and the fox snapped it up and walked away. 

A wise man once said, “Flattery is a trap; evil men are caught in it. But the good men stay away and sing for joy.” 

Flattery is different from encouragement. We give “courage” to those who are struggling with life’s problems when we recognize their efforts. We give hope to one who has fallen when we offer a hand to pick them up. We give peace when we smile at one with sadness in their eyes. 

Flattery is different. It praises someone for something that is not true or honest because we want to make them feel good about mediocrity - even failure. In the end, it destroys the one we want to help. The Psalmist said, “May the Lord cut off all flattering lips.” 

False praise, though well-intended, is destructive and deceitful. 

Prayer:  Lord, may we offer hope to the struggling, help to the weak, encouraging words to the faltering, and recognition to those who do good things! In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Scripture For Today: May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks proud things, Psalm 12:3 

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Help When You Need It Most

We are all grateful for our “first responders.” They save lives, bind wounds, bring food, give clothing, provide shelter, and restore power. They have become our “rescuers.” And, they certainly fulfill a critical, essential role. 

But as Christians, when we face a time of trial or tragedy, we have One who has been waiting for us to call upon Him when we need help. He is always waiting for an opportunity to prove His power whenever we face a difficult situation. 

One morning, about four o’clock, Peter was in serious trouble. He and a few of his friends were in a small boat far from shore when a fierce storm arose out of nowhere. Fearing for their lives they became even more frightened when they saw what they thought was a ghost. They screamed in horror. And over the howling wind came a stern voice that said, “Stop being afraid.” It was Jesus assuring them that there was no reason for them to fear for their lives because He was there to save them when they needed Him the most. 

“If it is you,” said Peter, “tell me to come to You – let me walk on the water!” “Certainly,” said Jesus, “come on. You’ve nothing to fear!” He got out of the boat, felt the wind on his face and the waves beneath his feet but then lost his faith, and began to sink. He shouted, “Save me, Lord,” and He did. 

It is never the eloquence of our words or length of our prayer that counts, but our simplicity and sincerity. It is never a formula but our faith. He will always come to our rescue if we call on Him in a faith that believes in Him. 

Prayer: Lord, we do indeed believe in Your power and Your promises. Yet, when it counts most, we doubt. Increase our faith whenever we doubt. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Scripture For Today: Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Psalm 12:1 

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Doomed!

Comparing the importance, significance, or value of one nation above or below another is an ongoing process. Various criteria are used to measure the worth of nations: the size of the military, gross national product, education, population, employment, agriculture, productivity - and the list goes on and on. But, in the eyes of the Lord, none of these areas are as critical as the one He would place at the top of His list. In fact, number one on His list would never be included or considered in the “nation evaluation list.” Yet, nations rise and fall on what is most important to Him: righteousness.

Two of the most important nations of the ancient world were Sodom and Gomorrah. Their location was in the most fertile region of the then known world. So, they would certainly have been recognized as world leaders for their agricultural products. But, they weren’t. They were recognized for their godlessness.

They were not ignorant of the Lord. Rather, they completely ignored Him. They refused to bring God in to their lives and weave Him into the fabric of their culture.

As a result of their complete indifference to God, He rained “down fire and brimstone” on them and utterly destroyed them - along with the other cities and villages on the plain, and eliminated all life - the people, the plants, and even the animals. Nothing was left.

God has not changed. Nations are, have been, and always will be graded by God on their righteousness: “On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur.”

Prayer: We pray for our nation, Father that we will turn from our wicked ways and become a godly people once again. Grant us courage and power! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. Psalm 11:6 

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