Daily Devotion: 20th January 2010
extracted from 20th January 2011 ODJ articletitle : TOO PROUD TO RECEIVE
Matthew 5 : 3
- God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Shaina attends a service for 20-somethings at her church. Over the past few years, the group has reached out in innovative ways to their community.
When nearly 3o people in the church lost their jobs,Shaina and her crew decided to get donations of food from individuals and businesses.
They were amazed at the generosity. Soon they had a room jam-packed with groceries, and they began to set up appointments for the out-of-work families to "shop" for free. But many people didnt want to come,despite being in financial trouble.
"We felt bad," said Shaina."I was doing something to help people who really needed it, and it was a great feeling. People took something away because they were too proud to accept help."
When Paul the apostle prepared to go to Jerusalem for the last time, he stopped to encourage the believers in Ephesus. He noted that he had never coveted anyone's wealth and had always worked hard. But when he quoted Jesus as saying "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35), his statement implied that it is indeed blessed to receive. If no one receives, no one get the blessing of giving. God uses our needy times to humble us- and to enable others to enjoy the blessing of giving.
We're all desperate needy for spiritual rescue. Without Jesus, we're powerless to save ourselves. In a letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote, "Even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Chrisr from the dead" ( Eph 2:5) God saved you by His grace when you believed in his son....It is a gift from God.
Yet most people are too proud to receive the most generous gift of all time. Imagine how Jesus must feel about that.
Prayer and Reflections: Proud is a deadly weapon to christians. Are we too proud to help others, or are we too proud to accept other's help. Let us take some time to reflect our hearts, and we pray for God's forgiveness and learn to take his yoke of humility.
Dear Lord Jesus, I come before you today to confess that Im a proud person. Sometimes, I tend to do what I wanted to, I believe in my own ability and refuse the help of others. Please forgive me for not being a humble person like what you taught us. Lord, I also ask for your forgiveness because I refuse to help others when they are in need. Sometimes, I tend to focus more on my needs but not the needs of other. Forgive me for my selfishness Jesus, and give me a new heart, a generous heart. Help me today Lord, for I am powerless to do so. Help me to have a generous and humble attitude today. Make me a new creation.
Thank You Jesus, In the name of Jesus I pray
Amen.
